


Dear Rabbit

by QueenoftheHobbits



Series: Dear Rabbit Series [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-11
Updated: 2017-08-19
Packaged: 2018-03-22 09:12:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 26
Words: 149,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3723370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenoftheHobbits/pseuds/QueenoftheHobbits
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It wasn't easy being a new student in America when asking for a rubber meant an entirely different thing! Charlotte and her Step-Sister, Dori, are two entirely different people trying to navigate high school drama and their own issues. When a pair of teenage boys get sucked into the supernatural everything goes even further down hill... Stiles/OC and minor Lydia/Female OC</p>
<p>[Also on Fanfiction.net: To be updated every Saturday]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Our family situation was complicated. Perhaps that's why we had moved from one country to another, or perhaps it really was just that Norman had gotten a better job offer in America; either way it was a change that I didn't welcome. I suppose I shouldn't be complaining, I always said I wanted to visit America, I wanted new experiences. Our new house was massive compared to our old one, but that didn't make the transition any easier. Luckily I wasn't starting a fresh on my own and we had moved here over the summer allowing me and my Step-Sister Dori all the time in the world to understand the not so little town of Beacon Hills that we had moved to. I suppose perhaps by American standards Beacon Hills was little…but it was practically a city to me. I had found rather quickly that some of the surrounding hills offered a wonderful view of the town at night or in the day. It was beautiful in its own way and, perhaps other than the vast forests and the really good curly fries, the one of thing I liked about the town.

Dori, also known as Theodora, was really my only consolation prize about this whole trip/life changing experience. I had known Dori prior to 'The Marriage', but our interactions had been limited to _'Hey Dori!'_ and _'Do I know you?'._ Norman, Dori's dad, knew he wasn't my father. He knew he couldn't help with the scars that had been left when my dad had ran out on mum when I was 6, but he knew that he could be the friend that I needed. He did a bloody good job all things considered. And Dori? Dori was my other half-we were two sides to the same coin (naturally I was the Queen). We were practically joint at the hip, but we were opposites in many respects.

I suppose that's why she was looking rather relaxed, whilst I was freaking out…the familiar feeling of nervous butterflies welling up in my stomach. I don't know why I was so nervous. Schools weren't a problem, I'd survived them before, and surely American schools couldn't be that different? Besides if people didn't like me then that was just that. It wasn't as if I'd have no one, Dori was here and I wasn't being completely shoved into the lion's den all on my own. I tapped out a rhythm on the leather of my steering wheel, breaking the nervous silence… _Breathe, Charlotte, Breathe._ I did really need to get a handle on my nerves.

I glanced to the passenger seat to my right; driving an American car was still bizarre. Dori shot me a bright grin. I knew underneath the pleasant smile she was as nervous as I was, she was just better at hiding it. While I was all jittery movements and tapping feet, she was perfect smiles and small chuckles. It was part of her charm, as much as my quirks were my own, I suppose. But really I wish Norman or mum had driven us. I was so worried I'd crash, between the road being the wrong side and the heebie-jeebies I had, I felt about ready to run us into a tree - there were certainly plenty to choose from. But I couldn't do that firstly because Dori was in the car with me, and secondly because she looked really pretty today and I wouldn't want to make a mess of that. Anyways I've heard whiplash is a right bastard and I wasn't fond of being in pain…

I was, however, seriously contemplating turning around when we finally saw the school, greeted by the sign emblazoned 'Beacon Hills High School est. 1941'. It looked like any old school from any of those teenage dramas that Dori and I would sometimes watch when we needed a mindless break, already there were tonnes of students milling about outside.

The car we were in was notoriously shoddy and reliably unreliable. I really hoped that it would last long enough to get us home that evening because I certainly wasn't fond of being stranded at school, particularly ones that looked like they were part of a horror movie waiting to happen. It was so much larger than our old one…a mere 750 students where as this one appeared to have a good few thousand…the nerves certainly increased-if that was even possible.

"We have to wait by the bench, right? That bench?" Dori questioned, emerging from the passenger side of the car. I winced as the Ford's door rattled closed behind me, sounding decidedly unhealthy.

We had of course been told we'd be taken to our first classes by the Vice-Principle, which I suppose was the US equivalent to a deputy head. We had been unable to collect our timetables and the like during the summer, mostly due to moving issues and talks about Visa's. I even think mum had a chat with the Sheriff about safety over here, I'm pretty sure if that's the case the whole of the Sheriff's department know mine and Dori's names.

Apparently we'd be receiving our timetables today that in itself was worrying; would I get lost? Would Dori and I have the same break? Would anyone get my references to popular culture? Most importantly would I have a decent group of teachers? Knowing my luck no I wouldn't, I'll probably have all of the most hated and boring teachers in the school for the next few years…Sods law, my friend, Sods law…

"I guess so, it's pretty much the only bench around…" and it was, despite the vast grounds the only bench directly out front of the school was that one, unless my bad eyesight was really getting the best of me. It was stupid of me but I was scared to go over there as there was a dark haired girl sitting there. It was nothing really, more nerves than anything and I knew that. Nerves once they had to be put into action often made me chatty. Whereas Dori looked fine but ended up really quiet for the first few minutes until she calmed down. My attention was soon drawn away from the girl and I stopped quite abruptly in the middle of the car park.

"What an _Idiot!_ " the comment was directed at the jackass who nearly bludgeoned a poor boy on a bike with his car door. Admittedly the car was enough to give anyone a complex, but there was something about the driver that made me grit my teeth. Maybe it was just that the poor boy who nearly got whacked with a car door looked ultimately like a harmless puppy or maybe it was that I never was fond of people being rude. Either way as much as I hated making uninformed opinions on people I wasn't too keen on the Porsche owner.

Dori snorted unattractively at my remark, giving me a nudge towards the bench. It wasn't altogether too hard to tear my eyes from him, but I felt kind of bad for not going back and confronting the moron who nearly hit him. I had to silently remind myself that it wasn't any of my business, getting on someone's bad side on the first day of school wasn't a good idea…and yet I'd probably manage it by the end of the day.

I followed behind Dori, her steps were strong and to the average person she looked like your normal confident teenage girl from her fashionable loose jumper to her fitting boots. Underneath it all was a bundle of social anxiety which left her shoulders tense and her hand gripping the strap of her bag tightly. I myself plodded along at a bimble of a pace, my hands stuffed in the pockets of my jeans and a slight unevenness to my walk. I wasn't anywhere near as fashionable as my Step-sister and I was perfectly comfortable not being so…I just really wanted to wear a pair of comfortable converse and lounge about.

We had just reached the lengthy pathway up to the school doors when Dori seemingly tripped head first over thin air as a petite red head strutted past like it was a catwalk. I had to stop myself short to not fall over her myself, she was gazing longingly at the girl who was quickly disappearing through the double doors.

Dori scrambled to her feet exclaiming "who the _hell_ was that?!" Her blue eyes were still fixated on the closing doors that laid before us. She didn't even seem concerned with the dirt that had collected on her knees or the scuffs on her new boots. I was entirely confused about the whole thing, Dori was usually absurdly graceful. To see her flop to the ground was odd at best, worrying at worst. But apparently the red head made an impression.

"That would be Lydia Martin," a stranger intoned gravely, "5 foot 3, genius, and destined to be mine!" I whirled around to my right. The boy was pale, with cropped hair, and a goofy smile.

"And is _she_ aware of her great destiny?" I quipped back, craning my neck backwards slightly to look at his face which was dotted in a peculiar amount of moles.

"No…but my eight year plan is in progress" The smile never fell, it was oddly charming in a twitchy awkward type of way. Although I'm not sure how successful his supposed eight year plan was currently…

"My one year plan has just started" Dori smiled suggestively at the boy; apparently she'd taken an interest in the so named Lydia Martin. I'd probably be dragged into her schemes and be planting bouquets in lockers by next week. I always seemed to be wingman on her wooing missions, not that there have been that many, or that we'd been that successful in our exploits.

"Hey! I saw her first!" He gestured wildly with his arms, nearly hitting a passer-by in the face. The puppy eyed boy from earlier looked sufficiently annoyed from his place behind his friend, and noticing my glance gave me a quick, if forced, smile.

"What are you _five?!_ " Dori retorted with a grin. Her posture was more relaxed than I'd seen today. Nice to see one of us without metaphorical butterflies trying to destroy their stomach.

"And a half!" He countered, earning a surprisingly easy laugh from me. He was a funny boy, even if he was in competition with my sister of all people. He seemed to know it too as he sent a grin back in my direction.

"Stiles, we gotta go, I've got to talk to you about…that _thing_ " His taller friend muttered vaguely behind him, nodding towards the intimidating school building. The boy, 'Stiles' sent Dori and I, a quick departing nod before turning back towards his friend. It seemed the little banter session was cut short, it was a shame really, as Dori could be amusing when she really got into it.

I turned my attention back to Dori besides me "So…you've been here ten minutes and someone already caught your eye, ay?"

"Shut up, you try not to find someone like Lydia attractive." She said with a joking glare in my direction.

"I don't find anyone like Lydia attractive." She looked aghast as we neared the bench we were supposed to wait at before first lesson. Truth was I saw the appeal, she was a gorgeous girl the type that had I the reason I could be very envious of.

"I know you're straight, but don't tell me you wouldn't make an exception for a fine piece of ass like that!" It amused me that Dori talked like that, she didn't mean it badly…in fact she was very clearly joking at the same time as recalling the image of a skirt covered backside to her inner eye.

"Well…" I trailed off as we neared the girl from earlier, not wanting to be overheard talking about such things. She seemed nervous, but not unfriendly…she kind of reminded me of a baby deer; small, shy, with doe eyes.

Dori sat beside her first, I merely followed hesitantly. She was talking on her phone, I tried not to listen, politely staring at the tree across from me, most likely looking rather demented as I did so. _I hope I don't have maths first; maths first thing on a Monday morning would suck, in fact it might just make me run away to Mexico and join a drug cartel…_

It wasn't until Dori practically whacked me around the back of the head that I noticed the girl was no longer on the phone and was staring at me with worried deep brown eyes, she was adorable-the type where you want to wrap them up in blankets and cuddle them all night long.

"I'm...uh, I'm Allison?" It wasn't supposed to be a question of course, but I guess she was just as nervous as me. It was probably her first day here as well, I couldn't blame her for it especially as she'd just had to witness one of my many 'staring plaintively into the distance' moments, or as Dori liked to call them 'episodes'. I think she just liked to make me come off odder than I am, even if she was dragged down to my depths of nerdom by affiliation.

"Charlotte, it's nice to meet you, you've met Dori, yeah?" There was a nod and I saw the question on the tip of her tongue, the cliché 'so you're from England?' that we'd been asked ever since we moved here in June. But she seemed to think better of it and just sat back in her seat rigidly…I didn't want to make her uncomfortable, it was in fact the last thing I wanted. It was however a special talent of mine along with sleeping for ungodly amounts of time and consuming more sugar than I am sure is healthy.

"You really need to work on your episodes, _Lottie_ " it was a quick whisper in my ear, a way of making me roll my eyes without putting much effort into it. I hated being called Lottie or any variation of Charlotte, or at least I had yet to find someone who did so and didn't annoy me. It was just like how I called Theodora, Dori, it was a way of pissing the other off without properly starting something.

Lucky I didn't have to endure the tense silence for much longer as a dark skinned man in a very neat suit approached us with a smile, I assumed he was the Vice-Principle by the way he was clutching at a small collection of paper. Which presumably was our timetables, and locker information. _Oh god…American's have combination locks don't they?_

"Hello girls! As Allison here already knows I'm Vice-Principle Samuels, I'm here to give you your information and take you all to your first class…if you'd follow me" There had been a moment sat there on the bench when my butterflies had dissipated but it seemed they were back in full force now and more than ready to make me feel sick. There was gentle chatter between the four of us, Dori and me clutching at our papers, the usual talk of what it was like moving and how the change was. I didn't say more than that it was an experience and that it was harder finding clothes my size now…not only was the sizing different, but they seemed to cater to girls of Dori's size verses my own. I wasn't especially large but apparently clothes shops didn't get the memo.

Apparently Dori had a different lesson to me, in fact while I had English with Allison she had Music, a subject I didn't take for my severe lack of talent. Dori at least knew something about music. We had left her at her classroom a few minutes back and she promised to meet me outside my room, apparently she had _'better navigational skills'_ then me; which was far too true. I could get lost in my own house if I wasn't thinking about where I was going.

When I finally stood outside Allison and I's classroom I felt sick to the stomach, she seemed to share my sentiment and shared an anxious look with myself, I briefly wondered if taking off my glasses would make me feel any less nauseous, but realised that wouldn't be the smartest idea. I just really didn't like how my stomach was behaving at that very moment I had never felt so sick in my entire life; not when I went to a sundae bar and tried to eat my entire weight in ice-cream or even the time that Martin Ramsbottom humiliated me in front of everyone after I confessed to having a crush on him when I was 10… _Fuck Martin Ramsbottom, the bastard…_ as you can see I still was bitter about that.

I took a shaky breath as the door opened to the class room; _well here goes nothing, ay?_


	2. Chapter 2

The room was nothing special; rows of single desks and a blackboard on the wall, I'd never actually seen a blackboard before…but if that's their writing surface of choice I'd have to deal with it I suppose. I exhaled an uneven breath and gripped my stuff tighter as I stepped over the threshold and into the room. I felt sick. It wasn't anything to do with the faces staring at their phones absently or the bored look on the teacher's face, but all to do with the realisation that this was my new life. I was actually staying here, I was getting a completely different form of education and I was absolutely terrified. It was like culture shock had finally set in and all I could do was smile, wave, and try to act like I wasn't bothered one bloody bit.

Vice-Principle Samuels seemed to square his shoulders and place a pleasant smile on his face before addressing the congregation of teenagers that probably would much rather be sleeping right now "Everybody, these are our new students! Allison Argent and Charlotte Kite, please do your best to make them feel welcome!" It was clear they had anything but that in their minds; their stances varied from a couple snogging in the back of the room to staring longingly out the window as if they were stuck in prison. The only two who seemed even remotely interested were the boys from this morning; Stiles and puppy eyes.

Allison and I were motioned onwards, a sign that perhaps we should sit down. _I don't want to be here, God, I don't want to be here._ I watched Allison sit in the seat behind Stiles' friend from earlier. She had a grace about her as she did so…I on the other hand managed to bump into several occupied desks and stumble over my own feet before I managed to take my own chair next to a sniggering Stiles. It was the only other desk open, but I took some comfort in knowing that I knew at least 3 people in my class and that they all surrounded me.

I missed the security of my old friends, I missed the ease at which I could enter a class room, the way it all felt normal. I felt like I was going backwards. I was still in school despite having finished one already, rather than moving onto college. I felt like I was lingering like a persistent cough, but maybe this would give me the chance to have a more average teenage experience…I was never much more than an introvert who watched far too many movies and never got much of a second glance. Maybe this was my time to try and be something more-If that was at all possible. At the very least I'd come out of this with more qualifications than most…

I absentmindedly picked at and folded over the corner of my syllabus, dog-earing the page. I wasn't all too interested in it. I was more eager to distract myself from my nerves and watch the display in front of me; Monsieur Puppy-Eyes had turned around to Allison to offer her a pen, the giddy lovelorn expression on his tanned features enough to give someone a heart attack it was that sweet. It was nice to see. Sometimes just a sign of simple human affection was enough to help someone get through the day, and it certainly seemed to calm Allison down. I couldn't help the tender smile that crossed my features, glad at least one of us was making friends.

"So which one are you?" It was an abrupt question from besides me that caused me to jump in my seat, a hand coming to clutch at my chest. I turned to face my interrogator, only to find Stiles watching me with an expectant expression… I was a little surprised by his interest, considering we hadn't really talked much earlier. It wasn't that I hadn't wanted to, despite any anxiety I had, but that I had no real place in his discussion with Dori about Lydia and whatever competition they were now involved in.

"Pardon?"

"Charlotte or Allison...I mean we, um, didn't exactly exchange names earlier…"He was leaning so far to the side in his chair I was worried he'd fall out, with just one large hand holding onto the desk. The other was nervously palming the back of his neck, a habit I was sure I'd get used to over the next few weeks.

"Charlotte," I replied "I was with my step-sister Theodora this morning, but most people call her Theo" It was true, I was probably the only one who got away with calling her Dori and nobody not even Norman could call her Theodora. She was a force of nature when she wanted to be, a bloody hurricane and a cold one at that.

"…I'm Stiles, um…Stiles Stilinski, and uh that's my friend Scott" A large hand gestured towards the currently lovesick boy grinning to himself, it was nice to have a name…I doubt I could call him puppy eyes forever.

"Mr. Stilinski if you would please return your attention to this year's syllabus" He turned away facing the paper on his desk hastily, it wasn't really until that moment that I finally took a good long hard look at him. It was unfair to call him a boy, but man wasn't quite right either...he hadn't really grown into his body yet. He was interestingly erratic with an inability to keep still, whether he was twisting in his seat or tapping out a tune on the desk, and his eyes never seemed to dull. They were a honey colour, but what made them worth looking at was perhaps the brightness behind them. He was attractive in his own way, maybe not traditionally, but he showed promise from his strong jaw to a smile I'd had the privilege of being on the receiving end of.

The lesson went by slowly, as if someone had put everything in golden syrup. It was the usual boring English work. An overview of the syllabus, Kafka's metamorphosis, and me tiredly daydreaming about all the different ways I could remove myself from that room-my favourite was time travel, but I had yet to notice a Marty McFly, so that seemed out of the question currently.

I was far too eager to leave the room, I'm pretty sure I knocked a kid over in my attempt to get out. I was so relieved when Dori was right where she said she'd be waiting for me outside the room. She looked cool…like one of those popular kids from cliché teenage movies. I sometimes wonder how we had grown up together and yet were so different, I had only finally managed to get her to watch Ghostbusters last Halloween for God's sake.

I was about to make my way over when Allison came running up beside me and slide an arm through mine as if we had known each other for more than a few hours. Despite her nervousness from earlier she had a radiant smile on her face which I had a feeling was something to do with a certain Scott McCall. She had such a big crush on him that it was adorable, and then Dori had taken an immediate interest in Lydia although she hid it behind sexual comments, and then there was me…the only new girl who seemed to be more focused on avoiding messing up during her first day than on who was hottest.

It was like some sort of cloud hanging over my head, this little niggling feeling that I'd muck up. I don't know…I had always been scared of a lot of things, everything from clowns to irritating my friends. Being thrust into a place like this didn't help any of that, but there was one thing that made me smile from my place walking besides a girl infinitely prettier than myself, and that was the nervous wave that was sent to me from across the hall by one twitchy teenage boy and his lovesick friend. It was good to know that someone seemed to find me tolerable.

"Dori!" I practically launched myself at my sister in an effort to hug her. It didn't matter that she rolled her eyes at me and muttered something about me being a child under her breath; I knew secretly she was fond of my hugs, but with Lydia Martin striding down the hall I guess it wouldn't be considered the appropriate sort of behaviour. That was perhaps the only reason I straightened my back and pulled away, because Dori seemed to really like Lydia. I wasn't sure if it was some sort of primal attraction or crush, but she liked her. The last thing I wanted to do was get in the way of that…although judging by the way the Jackass from earlier was practically eating her face I guess that I wasn't the biggest problem on that front…heck I probably wasn't even a problem.

Dori leaned down to whisper in my ear "Can you please try and be cool" Allison looked horrified, but she didn't understand. Dori wasn't saying I was bad, but she knew that Lydia wouldn't be fond of me. People like me and Lydia didn't often mesh well without a reason, and me and people like Jackson clashed worse than a battle of Titans.

In theory the less attention I drew to myself the better Dori appeared, and the better Dori appeared the more chance she had of getting with Lydia in the future. School and popularity was a game of balance; while at home she might watch Star Wars with me, at school she had to focus on other factors of her personality.

"I can, uh… try...?" She gave me a pointed look as Lydia and Jackass detached from each other's mouths, I'm pretty sure I heard a pop as well. It was like watching an Octopus remove its suckers from something. _It's actually kind of impressive…and disgusting at the same time._

"Or maybe I should just be quiet…" I tried to distract myself by pulling out my rather disused and old phone, I was really bad at communication…my friends would always tell me off for not texting back or answering the phone. I had gotten better now that I was in a different country although my old friends and I stayed in contact using the internet instead…phone calls abroad were ridiculously expensive! So for once when I got a text from my mum I actually saw it within 5 hours of her sending it:

**Hope you have a good first day, call if you need me, love you babe xx-Mum**

It was simple and it was her, Dori probably had the exact same text if not one from Norman as well…although he tended to forget to message us about anything until the last moment so we'll probably get one on the way home from school that evening. Bless him.

**Thanks, will do. See you at home, love you xxx**

Unfortunately for me-or fortunately, I'm not quite sure which yet-looking over my texts didn't stop me from hearing what was going on or the popular couple from noticing that I in fact was there. Most of their conversation was about Lacrosse and a party that apparently Dori was invited to. It seemed not only was I stuck waiting around later after Lacrosse practice for Dori but I was probably going to end up at one of the places I hated most; a party.

It wasn't that I didn't enjoy the atmosphere…it's that I didn't really like to drink; alcohol tasted funny and I'd seen it do some unpleasant things to people. It wasn't fun being sober at a party, it wasn't fun looking after some poor drunk bugger who was throwing up in a plant pot either.

A rather sophisticated cough that sounded somewhat like Delores Umbridge drew me from my thoughts and urged me to put my phone away and actually partake in what was going on around me. Lydia was looking somewhat disapprovingly at my choice of clothing, her eyes on me felt like I was being placed in front of a firing squad. I knew I dressed sloppily; jeans covered in paint stains, t-shirts with cartoons and references to pop culture on, and the same pair of worn down red converse with bits of chewing gum stuck to the laces… Lydia on the other hand dressed immaculately, and despite this seemingly stupid air she gave off I saw the flicker of intellect. She was the not so typical popular girl and my sister was so enamoured with her that she completely lost her cool.

I thought that by her upturned nose she'd try to avoid me at all costs…that didn't seem to be the case however, instead she said something about me being a 'challenge'. Something about her reputation being upheld and me having a fairly decent mass of hair; it gave me every reason to avoid Lydia Martin on pain of death. I, however, did enjoy the look of admiration on Dori's face and how happy she seemed in the other girl's presence. If it meant they got some quality time I'd be willing to be poked, prodded, and pulled about by the resourceful redhead.

"So are you like from Australia or something?" Her boyfriend, Jackson Whittemore, on the other hand? Well I'd be staying as far from him as possible. We didn't hit it off, between the glares and the subtle threats he sent me I figured I had already managed to piss off one of the many people in this school who could beat the living daylights out of me… _great, go me._ He was also dumb as a doornail. I could tell Dori wasn't too fond of him either, but she dealt with him because of Lydia.

"England, you idiot…" If looks could kill I'd be dead, and despite the apparent uncaring quality of my voice it shut me right up and I bounced my leg up and down out of a nervous habit. Sometimes I should really just be quiet…like Dori wanted me to be. But nope. I have to go run my big mouth, it's like Anakin going to the dark side of the force, really hard to resist.

"What did you say to me?"

"Nothing! Dori I'll, um, be at my locker if you…if you need me" My voice rose just a few octaves higher as I scurried away, past both Scott and Stiles to my own locker nearby. Jackass Whittemore definitely scared the living crap out of me.

Now let me tell you a few things about combination locks; firstly, we don't have them in England. Secondly they're weird and why don't you bloody Americans use keys like the rest of us? I mean it, I probably stared at this lock for 10 minutes before even trying to unlock it. Naturally, my first attempt failed. As did my second. I twisted the lock again, to no avail.

"Come on…" I had long since placed my bag on the floor and begun staring at the lock like it would open by my sheer force of will…which would have been something and revealed I was A) a Jedi or B) a wizard. Unfortunately it stayed static, unopened, and staring at me tauntingly.

"Why won't you open?! _You stupid lock!_ " I was frustrated. So frustrated, in fact, that I was completely unbothered by the odd looks I was attracting. I was having a wonderful first day if you couldn't already tell.

"THIS IS BETRAYAL! WHO ARE YOU PETER BLOODY PETTIGREW?" I had reached the conclusion that I had been outsmarted by a combination lock. Thwarted, I threw a punch at the dented metal of my locker. Not a gentle knock either I hit my locker as hard as I could…now if you didn't already know I'm a pretty weak human being. I mean I was a slow runner, I hated sports, I enjoyed sweets, and I probably was more harm than good in pretty much any confrontational situation so hitting my locker? Well that wasn't a smart idea and I was grateful when my two new favourite students came to assist me.

"Uh…you, uh, need a hand there, Charlotte?" I wanted to laugh at that, despite the tingling in my hand, because he had mentioned giving me a hand and I'm pretty sure I just broke mine. Stiles actually looked concerned. He was probably wondering if he had accidentally befriended a complete lunatic.

"Um…yes, I've-I've never had to use a combination lock before…" I felt sheepish and tried to distract myself with twisting my fingers together, I had successfully embarrassed myself because of a locker. It was only the start of the day as well…yeah, I was going to be known as locker girl, I could feel it. I'd much rather be known as Batgirl or something…

"What's your combination?" I handed Scott the slip of paper printed with the 3 digit combination '2-27-8' and watched as he helped Stiles to unlock the tricksie locker. They made it look easy from the quick turning of Stiles' fingers to the casual manner in which Scott read off the digits. So when it finally popped open I was a mixture of embarrassed and grateful, I had a feeling I'd be needing them more than just this once.

"Thank you both so much!" I was never one for boundaries, personal space wasn't really a thing to me. So drawing the both of them into individual hugs didn't seem odd at all. Scott tensed for a moment until he realised I was just hugging him and he eventually gave me a hug back, he was unusually warm and smelled slightly like dog... _maybe he has a dog?_

Stiles on the other hand obviously didn't get hugs from girls very often, he went from flailing arms and stuttering to latching onto me like a limpet on a rock trying to make the most of whatever apparent comfort he could. Not that I was complaining, there was something comforting about hugging someone who was substantially taller than yourself and who smelt of curly fries, old spice, and something warm. In fact if I had the choice I probably would have chosen to stay like that, the boy gave good hugs.

I did eventually let go however to put away some of my English work from the previous lesson as quickly as possible. They were kind enough to stay with me and we discussed my timetable. Apparently we had a fair few lessons together including Science just before lunch. When the warning bell to go to class rang they made sure I got to my next lesson okay and promised to eat with me at lunch time. I had made friends, and they seemed like they would be good ones…if a bit odd and jumpy.

I learnt a few things in science, but the most important thing was that Mr. Harris was the devil incarnate. I'm not sure whether he just hated kids or he was genuinely evil…he really had it in for Stiles though. It was obvious that being continually demeaned did nothing for his self-esteem, but what was I to do? If I got involved I'd have Harris on my back from day one. The most I could offer was a smile and a hope that it wasn't going to be an everyday occurrence.

We, Scott, Stiles and myself, were currently walking down the large corridors of the school. I felt absolutely tiny from my place between the two of them. I was tempted to take both their hands and act like a five year old again, but resisted the urge. I was trusting them to help me reach the canteen…and then to teach me the ways of the Canteen. As Stiles' had said they were my Yoda's although Scott seemed less like Yoda and more like Chewbacca.

The canteen I found was literally a large hall with long tables and littered with chairs. Scott seemed to have picked up on my worry about buying my own food and had done it for me grabbing my money from my hand and buying me whatever he noticed me staring at for more than 5 seconds. I liked Scott; he had this big brother protector aura about him, and it helped that he didn't raise too much attention to my social anxiety. I thanked him profusely for doing it and he all but shoved me into my seat where I sat beside Stiles.

On a table across the room I spotted Dori, giggling with Lydia while an irritable Jackson sat nearby. I guess he wasn't used to sharing his girlfriend, not that I could blame him. Dori was obviously into Lydia, it was as clear as the fact that Dean Winchester likes pie.

"So are you coming to watch Lacrosse practice after school?" I was eating a chip at the time and the sudden conversation along with the eager wide eyes of a certain McCall made it go down the wrong pipe. It took a hefty pat on the back from Stiles for me to be able to actually speak.

"I don't really have a choice, I'm Dori's lift home and Lydia's making her stay…" I took a sip from my drink. I wasn't too sure why everyone here seemed so obsessed with Lacrosse…

"You can sit on the bench with me and Scott if you, uh, want, we don't get to play anyway" There was a dim look in Stiles' eyes as he said that, like they'd been waiting on it for years without success. I didn't like that look, it made him look vulnerable like a little kid.

"You're on the team?" They didn't seem like the type of people to join the team, not that they couldn't if they wanted to of course! But they just…there was something not right about it. Maybe it was the lack of arrogance, they just weren't like Jackson or that kid Greenberg who was in at least 3 of my classes. Danny wasn't too bad though, he was funny and I quite liked him.

"Well. Yeah, we're on the team, but…we never play on the field…"

"Well I'm going to make first line this year!" There was a certainty in the way Scott spoke, it made me smile. He had a lot of determination, I wanted him to get on the field. To get to play, it obviously meant a lot to him I could see that even if I didn't understand the appeal to play sports very well...or at all.

"You still on about that? Neither of us are going to get off that bench…"

"Why so pessimistic, Stiles?" I threw another chip in my mouth, when Stiles got annoyed he made this really odd face. He kind of screws up his features and rolls his eyes all at once, it was fascinating to watch.

"Why so serious?" The annoyed look gave way to a proud smile as if he'd made the funniest joke in the world, both Scott and myself shared a look of mild amusement.

I didn't bother replying, raising an eyebrow and waiting impatiently for him to answer my question. At my silence he cleared his throat loudly and began drumming his fingers against the table's surface once more. "Right…um, it's just that we've always been on the bench, we're not exactly Jackson are we?"

"Do you want to be that syphilitic idiot? I'll cheer you both on even if you're just keeping the bench warm!"

"Yeah?" A small half smile lifted the corner of his mouth and for a moment it stunned me. There was something undeniably and genuinely tender about it. It was the look of a close friend and it made my heart swell with a fondness for the both of them. They'd taken care of me and I'd take care of them even if it was just cheering them on during a Lacrosse game.

"Promise." The rest of our lunch break consisted of a discussion about whether a Ninja would be able to destroy Godzilla, telling Scott off for stealing my food, and having a mini poke war between Stiles and myself which he won…only because I was unbelievably ticklish.

I had gotten a text at some point from Dori about not leaving her stranded at school. I'm not sure why she text me when she could have easily walked over, but apparently that's what happened when you spent lunch with separate cliques. I did see Danny smile my way and Allison wave at me though, so did Scott. I was now deigned wing-man number two to help him get the girl, which judging by her reaction to him earlier wouldn't be hard.

The rest of my school day was spent with me trying to take notes and generally being hyperactive, I can't count how often I was told to slow down when I answered something or to stop speaking over the teacher. I also managed to piss off my history teacher, apparently she didn't appreciate being corrected on her dates…

By the time the last bell rung I was ready to collapse and let out a relieved sigh, until I remembered that I had to wait around for another hour or so. That's how I ended up walking sluggishly behind Lydia, Dori, and Allison who were practically strutting to the Lacrosse field…well Dori and Lydia were, Allison was just being hauled along by her arm. My eyelids felt unbelievably heavy. I ran a hand through my thick dark hair my hand getting knotted in the curls and I realised that the day had been not only a long one, but an unbelievably stressful and eventful one.

I saw Stiles was on the bench where he had promised he would be. Scott apparently had been put into goal, which was probably some stupid morale boosting exercise, I'd already been subject to Jackson telling me how crap my new friends were at sport. I had told him in no uncertain terms to bugger off and go back to the dung hill he came from. Naturally that didn't go well and I had hidden behind Dori who, while unimpressed with me wasn't going to let him do anything but glare. _Maybe there's a use for her new friendship group? Protection from harm and all that._

I let the girls go take their seat and was going to take mine beside Stiles, but a perfectly manicured hand grabbed my arm and dragged me with them before I could even make a start in his direction.

When Stiles' eyes caught mine as I was being pulled away by Lydia, I may have dramatically exclaimed "Avenge me, Stiles!" I could practically hear Lydia's eye roll as her grip tightened and she pulled me even more fervently towards the others.

"NOOO!" He didn't miss a beat and it made me glad I chose him and Scott as my friends. They were odd but they were my type of odd, even if they apparently wandered around the woods at night looking for dead bodies-that had been another topic of the day after our English teacher told us to stop being so macabre and focus on our work. We didn't.

"Stilinski sit back down!" Just as I was forced onto the bench between Allison and Dori the Coach blew his whistle and the practice began. I was eager for Scott to do well, to prove that all the hard work he'd put in over his summer paid off. Especially if I got to see Jackson's ego get bruised even a tiny bit.

"Who is that?" Allison's eyes were glued firmly to Scott and I was apparently the only person who actually knew his name…which was a new development cause usually I didn't know anything about anyone or even what I was doing half the time. The idea of actually being able to help Scott get the girl was highly appealing. I was a romantic at heart and it was kind of painful watching them both pine individually after the other.

However before I could answer her a ball came flying at Scott from the first player…and hit him right in the face causing him to literally body slam the ground. Yeah. Maybe Stiles was right, and he wouldn't be making first line this year. A hiss escaped me, and I tried to focus back on Allison who apparently noticed my concern…Dori looked apathetic and a tad like she was enjoying the violence of the game and Lydia just looked smug like she'd expected it and knowing her she probably had.

"His name is Scott McCall…" I could practically hear her swoon over his name from my space beside her, it didn't matter who spoke to her she never removed her eyes from him once… _someone's in deep…_

"Aw, has someone got a crush?" It was the first thing Dori had said since we got let out of our last class, and her voice had a patronising, sing-song quality. I snorted, but didn't call her out on her hypocrisy - she had been making heart eyes at Lydia all afternoon. She was unusually quiet and I wasn't sure if she was just tired like me or something else. But whatever it was I'm pretty sure it called for pizza tonight which would mean texting mum, luckily practice was a pretty long event.

My attention was drawn back onto the field as Scott dragged himself to his feet and tightened his hold on the Lacrosse stick. I think having Allison there made him more determined to do well than before. Not that he really had to be good at Lacrosse for her to notice him, he could probably suck at every sport and become a recluse and she'd still be interested in him.

It seemed that Scott's ball to the face was a one off occurrence because every ball after that he caught with a surprising amount of ease. It wasn't that I doubted his ability, but even he seemed surprised when he actually caught a ball instead of being pelted with another one.

"He seems like he's pretty good" Allison said, the smile on her face was seemingly everlasting and it brought one to my own features.

"Yeah, very good" I adjusted my glasses, sliding them back up my nose as Lydia agreed. I physically stiffened, however, when I saw Jackson storm to the front of the line of Lacrosse players, a very heavy grip on his own Lacrosse stick.

I felt Allison tense with worry besides me and saw the look of glee on Lydia and Dori's faces as Jackson practically sprinted at Scott with every intention of embarrassing and possibly maiming him. It felt like everything was in slow motion as I watched that ball travel at a brutal pace towards the goal and my friend.

I wasn't the only person to jump to my feet and cheer when Scott caught it almost expertly, my joy increased at both the sight of Jackson's pissed off face and Stiles' celebratory dance at the front of the bleachers. At some point during the rest of practice I managed to sneak down away from the girls to sit beside Stiles, the rest mainly featured Scott's new found talent and a practically foaming at the mouth Lacrosse Captain.

I don't think Jackson's mood was improved by Lydia's apparent focus on the new found talent, nor was Dori's it seemed. She had a glare focused on Scott, although less harsh and more hurt as if after one day she had hoped the red head would fall at her feet. I'd probably have to do damage control on the ride home, that in itself would be hard since she rarely even talked about her feelings…we had a few minor communication issues in our family.

When practice finally ended I said a goodbye to my two friends, a quick hug and a promise to text them when I got home after they'd given me their numbers. I didn't waste too long doing that though, mainly as Dori looked distant and ready to hit someone in the face. There was just this quiet, slow burning annoyance in her blue eyes that put me on edge.

The walk to the rickety Ford was quiet and tense. I waited for her to strap herself in before going to start the car, except I paused and lowered my hand again. Turning to her, I noticed how she avoided looking into my eyes and the way she pulled at her blonde hair or scratched lightly at the fair skin on her wrist.

"Dori…Lydia doesn't like Scott, she's just trying to piss Jackson off." I don't know whether her feelings for Lydia were serious, but this was the first indication that maybe they were more than I thought they were; Dori was pretty laid-back, she wasn't overly covetous or worried about anything. But Lydia seemed to turn her into a rash wreck of a woman and it was both worrying and refreshing to see.

"How do you even know that?" There was a bite to her words and for a moment I felt like I was stuck in a car with a wild animal of some sort and not my younger Step-Sister. Although she definitely had the iron fist that I lacked, speaking of which my knuckles had bruised from their collision with my locker this morning… _shame…_

"Jackass gets jealous, he does better in Lacrosse, and she's still dating the best Lacrosse player…it's called emotional manipulation, it's not healthy but it's there…so cheer up Han, it's not like she just kissed her brother" I put the key in the ignition, and pulled my seat belt on and around me clipping it into place. I was so tired and wondered briefly if I should even be driving, but it was only a good 20 minute drive home and once we were there I could sleep. If I didn't drive who else was going to? Dori didn't have her license and as much as this car hated to work I wasn't leaving her in the school parking lot overnight.

"You did not just call me Han Solo" Despite the indignation in her voice as I pulled the car out of the school I could hear the tinkling of humour that she tried so hard to hide. She was a hard-ass, she was an emotional disaster half the time, but she was still Theodora whether she wanted to be angry at me or not.

"I did…also can you _please_ smile, since I convinced mum to buy us pizza for dinner? I hate you being pissed at my friend…" While I called Norman, Norman…Dori called my mum, mum. Her mum had died in childbirth, so I guess she didn't have the same sort of resentment about someone trying to take her mum's place…I never really asked. While we were close, Dori didn't like having emotional heart to hearts. It was just her way, even if it was ridiculously unhealthy.

"You picked the two dorkiest people in the whole school to befriend…" I glanced to the passenger seat, my foot tapping to the beat coming from the radio. She finally had a small smile on her face, her gaze was looking outside the window at the passing trees that seemed to surround a good portion of Beacon Hills.

"Yeah well. They remind me of Indy and Short-round…It's kind of cute actually just how well they get along, and they never make me feel like I'm intruding…or they haven't yet at least!" You would have to be deaf to miss the affection in my voice as my eyes darted around the road. Beacon Hills had such quiet roads that were practically empty at all times, it was something I was getting used to slowly.

"Is that the only thing you think is cute?" There was a teasing lilt to her voice and I knew exactly what she was getting at. It was a favourite past time of hers, trying to find me a boyfriend. She'd been at it since I was about 13 and had yet to succeed. I don't know why I even thought she'd stop when we moved to another country. _Back to the old horse race then…_

"What?" If I had a penny for every smirk that had crossed her lips because of my interaction with the opposite sex it'd have a good few pounds at least. I think she just wanted me to be happy, but I was happy right? I mean sure I get lonely sometimes, but I didn't need a man to make me feel complete. That's what watching Harrison Ford was for.

"Nothing, Nerd"

The rest of the drive back was filled with us badly singing along to Bon Jovi and relaxing, I might not like Dori at school when she's around her 'clique' but I definitely liked her when she was my sister, who could belt out a song with me and make as many references as I do. It was good. It was normal and for a space of 20 minutes I felt like we had never left our little village in England.

When we got in Norman and mum demanded a play by play of our day, everything from how our teachers were to what we did at lunch time. We did in fact get pizza that night as promised and we sat in Dori's room watching some old horror movies that I didn't even know existed. It was nice for us to just relax together cuddled up on her bed. The only issue was when it came to bed time, I was terrible with horror movies…as I had said before I get scared of a lot of things. I was incredibly lucky that Dori didn't mind me staying in her bed with her, and despite the fact I ended up being the big spoon and lost all feeling in my arm it was nice to be cuddled up and relaxed with her after such a stressful day. I just hoped tomorrow would be slightly less taxing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you thought of this chapter either here or on my tumblr imaginesofeveryfandom :) Thank you, lovelies!


	3. Chapter 3

Tuesday had been and gone, nothing exciting happened except perhaps the fact that a fire drill had been done. By the time Wednesday came around I was wondering if I had settled into another dull, normal routine again; one that was just get up, go to school, go home, sleep, and repeat. Dori was with her new 'squad' the whole of Tuesday-we didn't even talk once except when she got home from Lydia's late in the evening. I had locked myself away in my room texting Scott and Stiles, or trying to at least…apparently they were busy as well. That had led to me sitting at my desk perusing the internet till 3 am and sending my old friends a couple of awkward emails, thus the reason why my Wednesday was dragging by slowly.

I was tired to the point my eyes barely stayed open during class. The boys had noticed rather quickly and took turns in keeping me awake and out of Harris' war path during science. That was the theme of my lessons up until lunch when a sudden bout of energy hit me like I'd been fed a mass of pure sugar. I wasn't sure where the new found energy came from, but I was grateful for it as I sat once more across from Scott and next to Stiles with a plate of fries and bottle of water.

"What did I miss? I mean last night when you two were seemingly so busy…" It probably sounded bitterer than I meant it. I didn't exactly expect the two of them to be at my beck and call 24/7 after a few days of knowing each other, but I would have enjoyed a text back that evening rather than at 6 this morning.

"Uh, sorry about that…" Stiles said, guilt was laced heavily in his voice and it made me regret being so harsh. I just hated being ignored without a reason. A silence fell over our table until Scott had some sort of lightbulb moment.

"I have a date with Allison!" Scott all but jumped for joy. He usually looked like a puppy, but he'd never looked like one so much until that moment. _What is with this school? Everyone's suddenly jumping everyone else's bones?_ His grin was infectious, like a child on Christmas morning; I couldn't help but smile back.

"What?" The story apparently went like this; Allison had been driving home when she'd hit a dog and brought it to the animal clinic where Scott worked, crying her poor doe eyes out. He'd given her a shirt to change into as hers was completely sodden from the bad weather and handled the dog like a pro all in time for her to agree to go to the party on Friday with him. Any previous excuse of 'Family Night' was completely forgotten. It was some sort of fairy-tale situation, in which he was the floppy haired knight in a Lacrosse uniform. I was happy for him, something told me he didn't really get much attention from girls. Perhaps it was about time he got the girl. He certainly deserved to be happy.

After his retelling his story Scott practically drifted off into La-La land, his eyes fixed on Allison across the cafeteria. I was waiting for him to start drooling and sigh wistfully. He gave off the same air as all the leading females in a romance movie with a crush, it got pretty sickening pretty fast.

"So, are you busy after school today?" Stiles talked around a chip, part of me was getting ready to tell him to eat with an empty mouth when he swallowed it, his Adams apple bobbing lightly. Scott was still off in his own world, so I turned my body to face our friend.

"Uh, yeah…I have this…well, mum decided we should all have at least one family therapy session now that we're in a different country and schools started…why?" Mum was a bit of a worry wart, in fact everything was always over the top and melodramatic. The first month of us being in America Mum wouldn't let Dori or I leave the house without her or Norman, and with the recent death of that poor girl she was completely riled up. I loved my mum and I'd do practically anything for her, but it got annoying fast. It's why I chose to just stay in my room most of the time, it caused me less hassle.

"I, uh…was going to ask if you wanted to hang out round mine? Only if you wanted to of course!" There were times I completely forgot about Stiles' anxiety and overall ADHD, and then he'd say something and speak almost as fast as myself or he'd bounce his leg up and down like he was watching an intense game of Lacrosse. I was actually touched that he wanted to spend time with me outside of school… _that's what friends do, idiot…_

"Well...I can...um...I can try and drop by after? It won't take that long to do this thing…" I shouldn't have felt such fondness at being asked to go round someone's house. It wasn't like he'd done anything spectacular…I guess that's just what I'm like, overly emotional and exceedingly jittery about the prospect.

"Uh, sure…I'll text you the address then?" Stiles had an extremely expressive face, he managed to cycle through at least 4 different expression in the space of our small conversation. It had a feeling this made him just as anxious as myself...

"Yeah, I'll try and get out of there as quickly as possible. Therapy is always dull, so it shouldn't be too hard…" I'm sure if there was something to actually talk about then maybe it wouldn't be boring, but I didn't exactly have a plethora of things I could nor wanted to talk to a stranger about. _'I keep having interesting dreams about Ancient Rome'_ didn't exactly seem like the sort of thing a psychiatrist wanted to hear about.

"You been before then?"

"When I was like 8. Mum wanted to see how we were adjusting to the whole Step-dad thing…"I found myself almost making excuses, as if to justify why I had been in therapy. I might as well have screamed _'I'm not crazy!'_ in Stiles' face. A hand pushed my glasses back up my nose and he seemed to realise it wasn't a fond topic so we spent the rest of lunch discussing whether Halloween was better than Christmas. I personally thought Halloween topped Christmas by at least 90%. I mean it was a holiday dedicated to sweets and dressing up like monsters for God sake!

I only had a few lessons left, and they drifted by in a blur. A blur that gave me a good tonne of homework to complete. When I finally got out of class I left Stiles and Scott to their Lacrosse practice-I'm pretty sure it was First Line Eliminations that day- and made my way to the car park. Norman and Mum had decided it'd be best if we all went in one car, so I'd have to get dropped off at Stiles'...Norman would be fine with it, but mum? Not so much. She had been on a safety trip since the body was found a few days ago.

When I spotted the car I rushed over to it; the sooner we went to this appointment, the sooner it would be over and then I could hang out with Stiles. Their car was a lot nicer than mine, most likely since it was brand new and hadn't been bought from a scrap yard… I slid in the back to find Dori was already there and staring apathetically out the window.

My Step-father sat behind the wheel of the car. Norman was a kind looking man, with the same deep blue eyes as Dori, except his were lined with creases earned from years of laughter.. He looked like the type of man who always smiled and he did. He was pretty much the comedian in our house. The type of Step-Dad who went out of his way to get me to like him, which meant he was the soft-touch and I could pretty much guarantee a yes when he was around.

"Um…I was wondering if…well, if you could drop me off at my friend's house after this appointment? Please?" Mum practically broke her neck spinning around to scowl at me. There were a few people (well actually a lot of people) that I was scared of. My mum was definitely one of those people. When she disproved, her brown eyes could hold a fire storm and her face set into this expression that made you fear for your safety. I could only compare it to looking into the eye of a storm; you know exactly what's coming, but you can't stop it…okay maybe I'm being dramatic. You get the picture.

"Sure!"

"No." They both spoke simultaneously, Norman with a happy-go-lucky cheer to his voice and my mum as stern as that one demon of a head teacher I had back when I was ten. I had expected it, it didn't stop the disappointment from welling up in my chest.

"Sylvia, let her go…we're always telling her to be more social!" They were always telling me to stop being a hermit, Norman was right. He also had my mother wrapped around his little finger in a manner of speaking. It was a perk to having him want to please me so much, sure it got annoying and overbearing, but he got me permission to do stuff. He's the only reason I was allowed to learn to drive, I'd be stuck being driven around by mum if it was her choice.

"Fine." Sylvia Whittingham was a hard-ass. I'm pretty sure I've said it once before and I'll probably say it again. While Norman was the soft parent, she was the rule setter. It wasn't that mum couldn't have fun, it was just that she didn't see the point of unnecessary risk or action. If she could keep Dori and I wrapped up in bubble wrap inside a castle behind 10 meters of glass she would. Luckily that had yet to happen and I was still allowed some form of freedom. I was still growing my hair out though, just in case of a Rapunzel sort of set up. Best to be prepared.

"You need a lift home afterwards?" Norman had started the car and began to leave the school behind. The psychiatrist's office was in the centre of town rather than the green outskirts and surrounding suburbs I had become accustomed to over the past few months of living there.

"No thanks, Norman, Stiles can drop me back home" I could almost hear Dori's head snap up and her attention be grasped by a simple name. I didn't know what was with her and Stiles other than their weird battle over Lydia, but whatever it was I didn't want to be a part of it. I'd probably get dragged into something a lot worse than a tiny feud over a girl…it'd be like a replay of Romeo and Juliet, except with Whittinghams and Stilinskis battling it out.

"Stiles, eh? The adorable Twitchy one? My competitor?" There was certainly something in the way she spoke to me, it was teasing…I'm not sure why, and maybe I didn't want to know either. It was far too mischievous a smile for me to be comfortable.

"Shut up, Dori."

The rest of the car ride was quiet, the soft sounds of Pink Floyd played from the stereo thanks to both Dori and Norman's intervention and the nerves in my stomach had returned to torment me. I never did like therapy sessions.

The office was surprisingly nice in its décor. We had been told to wait there for the psychiatrist to finish doing…well, whatever he was doing. The walls were panelled with a dark wood, the same wood as the desk we all sat behind. If there was one thing worse than a therapy session it was one with all your family and being expected to share intimate details…Luckily Dori shared the exact same view as me and if there was anything we were good at doing it was irritating therapists.

When he finally arrived I had to physically restrain myself from making any sound or commenting. He was a man in probably his 30s, and he probably would have been considered a catch if it wasn't for the large burn scare that covered a large portion of his face and head. I tried not to let my surprise show, but if he noticed, he didn't call me out on it. I was already considering various gruesome scenarios which could result in such scars... It crossed my mind that he could in fact have his own issues, PTSD wouldn't be surprising. He introduced himself as Dr. John Smith. A very generic name.

"Doctor who?" Dori muttered from beside me, earning a stifled giggle from me and a sharp hushing from mum.

I watched him seat himself behind his desk, hands clasping in front of him before he straightened his back and removed a pile of cards from a drawer. There was something altogether menacing about how he moved and the smile he gave my mother.

"Theodora, Charlotte, please make yourselves comfortable. I'm going to show you some images and I want you to tell me what you see" His voice had an allure to it, a twinge of a sultry nature that caused me to share a look with Dori. _What sort of psychiatrist was he?_

"You mean you're trying the whole Rorschach inkblot test thing, right?" I had a varied interest in a lot of things. It was a talent of mine, a Jack of all trades but master of none type deal.

 _"Smart girl."_ A cold shiver traipsed down my spine, it wasn't one of pleasure or delight…it was scared, dark and hollow. The primal reaction to a predator, because this man couldn't be a doctor of any sort. Not the way his sharp teeth grinned at me. He set me on edge, I felt like I was dealing with the devil and I just didn't know it.

"Meh, I try…" I covered my fear with an uneasy smile, devil or not I wasn't alone. I doubted the creep would try anything with 4 people in the room with him. Dori must have picked up on my unease, her hand had found my own clasping it tightly. My own was clammy like a fever had taken me, while hers was tense. She may not have been the most emotional or understanding person, but she cared about me.

"So…what do you see? Theodora?" He held up one of the many cards, it held a black splodge. It was a subjective test, it wasn't of any use and we all knew it. But he apparently was going with the cliché psychiatrist route. A route we were both happy to indulge in, even if I was silently terrified.

"It's Theo." Her tone was icy as she glared daggers at Dr. Smith. She paused for a few seconds, making a show of staring hard at the ink splattered page before responding "A demon baby eating a dog." She said it with such nonchalance I resisted the urge to laugh, my mother could be seen rolling her eyes to our left and Norman merely furrowed his brows.

"…Charlotte?" His eyes drifted back to me and I swear for a moment I thought they were bright piercing red…but I must have been imagining things because they were back to a normal unfriendly blue within seconds. Maybe I did need a psychiatrist…just not this one.

"A butterfly on a marshmallow cloud" It looked nothing like that. But someone had to counter balance Dori and her demonic interpretations of ink.

"How about this one?"

"Stalin and Hitler making out on top of a rubbish tip" Dori's hand had continued to hold mine. Despite her flippant tone, I could feel her fingers twitch when he almost rolled his eyes at her comment before he turned to me. I wasn't the only one who didn't like him, not that Dori had ever liked any therapist we'd met. She wasn't fond of people prying into what was her business and hers alone without permission.

"A unicorn" and the silly responses continued; everything from impaled people to a William Shakespeare milkshake. He grew tired and eventually we sat there talking about our problems…well Norman and mum did; they confessed to how they were worried about the move, how they thought Dori and I would begin acting out if we weren't happy. We just sat there, watching the back and forth conversation like a tennis ball match until it was over.

On the way out, however, he requested to speak to me alone. That's how I ended up staring into the eyes of the devil, back stiff as a board, and practically radiating fear. I could just about hear Dori being scolded outside the door by my mother and it put me at ease a tiny bit.

"I was informed that Daddy dearest left from a young age, correct?" His hands were folded in his lap, his body leaning backwards in the large leather chair. It gave the impression of some sort of Bond villain.

"Yes...when I was six" I was confused as to why he was bringing this up. How he even knew that. It was something none of us talked about, it was a delicate subject. He had been there one day cheering me on at a school nativity play and gone the next without even a goodbye, just the divorce papers for mum to sign. There was no custody battle, there was no _'but she's my daughter too'_ It had been far too simple and far too easy for him to leave. Even at that age I understood the connotations of it all.

"A hard blow for a child…to feel so unwanted, so angry…" I don't know why, but I felt like he almost understood. I felt like he saw exactly what that did to me…and for the first time during that session I wasn't scared. I was resigned. He was like some sort of kindred soul…a creepy, burn victim with an incredible air of menace, but someone who seemed to understand when no-one else did.

"It wasn't exactly nice..." I responded, my voice thick. I hadn't talked about my father once since he left.

"To be so disregarded. Do you wonder if it was you? If you weren't good enough for him to stay…? If it was your fault?" His last words almost felt like he was talking to himself…as if there was something that he felt guilt for. Maybe that burn had a darker story than I could imagine…

"I…I don't know…" But I did know. I was always questioning it, he had been fine one day. He'd been fine for years, then suddenly he doesn't want anything to do with mum or me? Suddenly he doesn't even bother to visit? To share custody? To send any form of birthday or Christmas card? I hadn't heard from him since the day he left. So yes, Dr. Smith. Yes is the answer.

"So how are you finding school?" I blinked at his abrupt change in subject. "Made any friends? Maybe you've got yourself an eye on a boy?" the doctor winked at me conspiratorially.

"Uhh, I've made a couple of friends I guess..." I mumbled uneasy about such a change in subject, I felt like I was suffering emotional whiplash.

"Is that so? What are they like? Describe them to me."

"Well one of my friends, Stiles, is... well, he's certainly funny. A bit weird and awkward, but in an endearing sort of way. And Scott is-"

"Yes? What's Scott like?" I squinted at the Dr. Smith, confused by his sudden interest. The look in his eyes was intense, almost frenzied.

"He's... sweet." I ventured warily, my eyes fixed on a small statue of a woman sat upon the wood desk.

"Sweet?" He repeated dryly. "That's the word that comes to mind when you think of Scott McCall. Sweet?"

"Yeah, I mean-" I cut myself off suddenly. "I didn't... I didn't tell you Scott's surname."

"What?"

"You just said Scott McCall. I didn't tell you that. H-how did you know that?"

"Charlotte, I know his name because you just told me his name," He smiled innocently, just a hint of confusion in his voice. I paused, thinking over my words. I was sure I hadn't mentioned the name McCall... but how else would he have known? I shook my head, trying to physically dispel my confusion. Wow, Charlotte, great job of acting like a paranoid nut job in front of your therapist. Good job.

"Don't worry, Charlotte, I understand that some people find these sessions rather taxing. You can leave now…and Charlotte, it was a pleasure talking to you…"

I felt shaky, like I'd been blown about and beaten left and right. There was a hollowing feeling somewhere in my chest, that wasn't entirely unpleasant. I felt almost relieved. It's what prompted me to ask I suppose… to ask mum to schedule me in regularly for more appointments with him. I didn't like him, I didn't enjoy his company, and I even shocked myself by doing it…but there was something cathartic about talking to him. It was like pulling shrapnel from a wound I suppose.

The car ride to Stiles' was spent with me staring off into space, the only time I even moved was when I got the address for Norman. Dori looked worried…I didn't blame her, I felt odd. It took the whole 30 minutes for me to even contemplate coming out of my trance. I wasn't going to impose this unresponsiveness on Stiles, I was going to have a good time I decided. No matter what creepy psychiatrists say about my absentee father.

I waved my family off before steeling myself in front of Stiles' door. His baby blue jeep was parked out front, which reassured me that I wasn't going to be knocking on the wrong door at 5 in the evening. I didn't know if his dad was in, but I figured he couldn't be that bad and I shouldn't be that worried. Firstly he was the Sheriff and secondly he was Stiles' dad. I doubted Stiles could have come from some mean old man.

I was tugging on sleeves of my hoodie nervously before I finally knocked the door, I could hear the heavy and clumsy sound of feet rushing down a staircase and the door was heaved open to reveal a panting Stiles who must have ran to the door. It made a small half smile tug at my lips as I looked up at the breathless boy.

"Eager to see me?" I raised my brow teasingly. I felt a bit better now that I was around Stiles. He just gave off a happy air, of course I'm sure he could be a right twat when he wanted to…in fact, the whole let's go search for a body in the woods thing was definitely a stupid thing to do that would have had me seething at him if I had been involved at the time.

"No! I mean...yeah, I…you know I want to hang out with you...sorry!" He was a pale boy, it made it all the easier to see the embarrassed flush that crept up his neck and face. He was awkward and didn't know what he was saying half the time, but he made me laugh that was a fact. I was in that moment really glad that I had befriended Stiles Stilinski.

"Its fine, Stiles" He seemed to almost visibly relax, if there was an expression that said _'God help me'_ I'm pretty sure it was the one he was currently wearing as he stared upwards, still stood on the threshold of his house.

We shifted awkwardly standing there, me outside, him inside for the next minute or so. I could have probably prompted him and reminded him that I was supposed to be hanging out with him not becoming a garden ornament, but the absent expression and the jerky shifting of his body was interesting to watch. I wanted to understand him, I wanted to figure out just what made him the way he was because he was about as plain as Harry Potter was a prostitute. Not at all.

He suddenly jerked his head back down and looked at me, mouth open in an O shape "Oh right! Come in!" He took a step back, one hand rubbing the back of his neck, the other swung out inviting me inside. I noticed he rubbed his neck a lot. It seemed to be one of his many nervous gestures.

The entry way to his house was warm, the walls were a soft yellowish cream and were littered with photos, paintings and other odds and ends that made me want to stay and explore. The house just had this really warm feeling to it, it was a lived in space that obviously had a lot of fond memories. Somewhere off to the right I could see a living room, cluttered, but very obviously loved…I could almost imagine a younger Scott and Stiles getting up to mischief in there, someone most likely hurting themselves in the process.

"I'm guessing you haven't eaten anything…If you're hungry I can try to find something…we're not really having dinner tonight, Dad's really busy with all this case work and I'm not exactly the best cook…but I'm sure there's something about…" He looked almost ashamed, like he wasn't a good host. Sure I was hungry, but really my main concern was him. He'd been off yesterday…more worried, I figured it was to do with Scott. He worked hard in lesson, in his friendships, in pretty much everything even if his focus was for the most part 0%.

"You're not having a proper meal?" It was getting late, I knew I was hungry and surely he and the Sheriff were too. I could understand if they bought take-away, but apparently they weren't even doing that! Call me maternal, but that caused me to screw up my face into a frown. I firmly believed in at least 3 solid meals a day.

"No…?" I had in a sense whirled around on him and I'm sure I had this weird look in my eye at the thought of Stiles and his dad not eating. It also bugged me that he seemed more concerned with myself, when I could easily go home and get some food, than himself.

"Where's your kitchen?" He hesitantly pointed to the doorway on my left and I all but stalked my way there. I could just about see a dining room table littered with files and pieces of paper off to the side, but my main focus was searching his fridge and cupboards for some type of edible collection of items. It didn't even cross my mind that this might have seemed rude. _Thank God they have some beef mince…_

"What…what are you doing?" Stiles had followed me and was practically falling over his own feet, his honey eyes were wider than I'd ever seen them and his mouth was practically flapping open. He could probably catch a whale in it…okay, maybe that's a slight exaggeration. But there was probably room for a smallish bear, definitely enough space for an Ewok.

"I'm cooking you and your dad dinner. I'm not letting you two go hungry, think of it as repayment for helping me with my locker Monday…plus your dad works hard right? And you work really hard? It's the least I can do" There wasn't much in the Stilinski kitchen in the way of cooking ingredients and I had a feeling Stiles was used to not eating a proper home cooked meal. With his dad working long hours and them both probably having no idea how to cook anything more than a steak I'm not really surprised, but I made a silent vow to come and cook for them regularly…no wonder Stiles was a lanky kid.

"You don't have to…" I rested my hands on the counter top before looking lightly over my shoulder at him, it was in that moment I saw a little boy in Stiles Stilinski who didn't often come out. Sure he acted like an idiot, but there was this vulnerable look in his eyes that told you more than you could ever ask for.

"I know"

"Well, Can I…can I help?" He had approached me rubbing the nape of his neck for the 10th time that day. He was stumbling about like a calf trying to be useful, trying to make up for whatever he thought he hadn't done or achieved in the whole 10 minutes it'd been in his house.

"Um, you can tell me where you keep your cooking trays" He quickly darted forward and opened a drawer at the bottom of cabinet, grabbing a metal cooking tray.

The next few minutes were spent with Stiles hovering over my shoulder as I dashed about his kitchen making dinner. If there was one practical thing in life I could do it was cook. I was no Gordon Ramsey, but I at least beat eating a packet of crisps for dinner. When I said there wasn't a lot in the kitchen I meant it, luckily there was enough for me to put some froze curly fries in the oven and make 3 burgers from the packet of minced beef in the fridge. It was simple, but it was food and I had no doubt it'd be appreciated.

"Stiles? Is that Scott?" The call could be heard from the dining room, I had in fact been surprised that the Sheriff hadn't noticed the racket I was making between the opening of draws, banging of metal, and telling Stiles off for tripping me over it was pretty hard to miss. But I guess Mr. Stilinski was completely focused on his work, I'd see Stiles do it once or twice when he really wanted to get it done or was interested in what he was doing. He'd zone out of everything else and it'd take a megaphone or perhaps the Death Star blowing up for him to resurface.

"No Dad…it's um…I've got new friend over today" I didn't understand why he was so nervous until I saw the way the Sheriff practically froze at the sight of me. I could almost imagine him rubbing his eyes and pinching himself to see if he was actually seeing what he was seeing.

"Hey, Mr. Stilinski" I held out an awkward arm offering a palm to shake while still keeping my eye on the cooking. He looked tired, but also like a kind man. It was obvious Stiles got his looks from his mother and not his father, they had completely different eyes, hair, and general facial structure. They obviously shared the same mind though…

"A girl?" That's the point I realised why Stiles had been so nervous, apparently girls in the Stilinski household weren't a common sight…I felt like a rare species on one of those wildlife documentaries _'and here we can see the rare frizzy furred Charlotte ensuring the evenings meal for the rest of the pack'._

"Dad, this is Charlotte…she's um, well she's making us dinner" I watched the exchange, Stiles looked ready to bolt. The Sheriff looked confused, and I'm sure I looked positively happy bouncing around someone else's kitchen with a spatula.

"Oh you didn't have to…"

"I wanted to, it'll be done in a bit anyway" I found a few plates that weren't dirty and placed them on the counter.

"I'll try and clear some space on the table then, Stiles would you mind helping me" I could hear hushed whispering from the dining room, and briefly lent back to have a look to see the two Stilinski men waving their arms about huddled together whispering back and forth as they cleared some of the papers off the table. It made me chuckle lightly. I knew why Stiles acted the way he did, his dad was exactly the same.

By the time dinner was done we were all sat around the table, I had come to the conclusion that I liked Sheriff Stilinski-he was kind and had this really warm atmosphere about him. We talked over the meal about anything and everything, mostly just small talk, and it was only a little awkward. I would put a conservative estimate at 14% awkward; more awkward than your average school lunch, but less awkward than that surprise lunch with Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back. I learnt that Scott had managed to get First Line and promised to text him later. I was shooed off when I offered to help clean up and found myself in a bedroom very obviously belonging to a teenage boy.

The walls were blue and covered with posters and decals, the floor was covered in a multitude papers and I watched humorously as Stiles tried to discreetly hide the pile of dirty laundry on his floor. I toed off my converse and sat myself cross-legged on his bed. His room smelled like him, a mixture of old spice, teenage boy, and curly fries. It was slowly becoming a familiar scent.

Stiles sat himself down beside me on his bed, I figured his jitters were at the fact a girl was in his room. I'd be slightly off to if a guy came into my room and nosed about. His hands were twisting together repetitively in his lap and I bumped my shoulder with his to try and calm him down. I wasn't going to bite him, no matter what Dori'll tell you…

"So…I didn't want to ask around Dad, but…um, how was the whole therapy thing?" I was once again reminded of just how drained I was. Dinner with Stiles and his dad was fun, but that didn't stop me from dealing with what must have been one of the most tiring confrontations with a therapist I'd ever had. He certainly wasn't gentle that's for sure…

"Exhausting…he struck a bit close to home…"

"Want to talk about it…?" A large hand cautiously rested itself on top of my own and I found myself busying myself with his fingers, playing with them and pulling them this way and that. He had very elegant, long fingers…unlike my own short clumsy ones.

"Not really" and I didn't I just wanted to rest, to recover. I leant against his side as I played with his hand, after a few minutes of tense silence his body relaxed and he seemed to come to terms with my closeness. It was comforting being in his presence and having that sort of human comfort, it wasn't much but it was enough.

With a sigh I pulled away from his warmth and my eye was caught by a piece of printed paper. I leant over his lap to pick it up off the bed cover and glance over it pushing my glasses back up my nose for the millionth time that day. "Lycanthropy? Werewolves?"

"I'm…Uh… I'm interested in it is all, totally nothing suspicious or wolfy going on!" He spoke quickly and his eyes darted about, I laughed at his nervousness. He really was worried about how people seemed to perceive him. It was almost sad, that he felt the need to be constantly on guard around new people or just people who weren't Scott McCall.

"Hey, calm down...when I was 13 it was dragons for me, then it was witches when I was 14…I'm not judging, besides who doesn't love the whole idea of the man vs. inner beast debate!" I had a very severe witch and dragon interest when I was in my early teens. Nothing a few years of reading didn't get out of my system, but I understood the interest in the supernatural. It was all very fantastical and unknown.

"Right…I…sorry, it's just people already think I'm weird…" He avoided my eyes and lifted his hand to rub the back of his neck again, I grabbed it in mid-air pulling it onto my lap and resumed playing with the long fingers that shook slightly. Whether from pre-existing nerves or a huge dose of Adderall I wasn't too sure.

"Hey…you're my friend, I like your weird!" My voice was the softest it had been since entering the house that evening. I didn't stop reassuring him until I saw a self-assured smile breach his lips and a warm feeling enter my chest.

That's how we spent the last few hours, curled up on his relatively small bed talking. It felt like I'd found a confidante or something, or at the very least a very warm cuddle buddy to offer me my daily measure of affection. It took him awhile to get used to it, the hugging that is, he even asked why I was so tactile…In the end he came to the understanding that that was just the way I was and I think he enjoyed the companionship to a degree.

At about 8 I got a text telling me to come home, and luckily Stiles was kind enough to drive me. The Sheriff told me to come back anytime and I promised to come cook at least once a week to make sure they ate somewhat decently. The ride home consisted of a rather dangerous game of shoving and an in depth discussion of the werewolf myth; everything from Romulus and Remus to modern pop culture like 'Wolf Man'.

"Thanks for the ride home, Batman"

"Anytime, Lottie" I was about to tell him how much I hated that nickname when I realised I didn't…or at least I didn't from him. I didn't mind it at all, I didn't mind the way it sounded from his lips or the way his smile was soft as he said it. I actually found myself feeling fond of it. That's the moment I realised Stiles Stilinski was going to be an exception to the majority of my rules.

I gave him a parting hug before jumping out of the jeep. He stayed there parked outside the house until I disappeared inside. The smile on my lips disappeared at the sound of yelling and despite my curiosity telling me to go have a look, I already knew what was going on and instead snuck my way up to my room and let myself fall into bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you thought of this chapter either here or on my tumblr imaginesofeveryfandom :) Thank you, lovelies!


	4. Chapter 4

"This?"

"Sure…" I raised my head from where I was laying belly down on Dori's bed. Clothes scattered the floor, hung off the furniture, and even the light fittings. A wide wardrobe lay open hangers empty and twisted. In her hands she held some sort of weird tie dyed shirt … _where did she even get that thing? Woodstock?_

"That's a no then. How about this one?" She tossed the tie dyed abomination away. It landed unceremoniously on top of my head causing my curls to fluff up and jarring me briefly. When I looked back up she was holding a shirt made from some sort of purple fabric, with weird ruffles…I'd never seen her wear any of these clothes…my fashion taste, by comparison, seemed worthy of Lydia Martin herself.

"Dori, if you're not going to take my advice then don't ask me…you look fine in all your bloody clothes" She could probably wear a bin bag or one of those ridiculous shirts that she seemed to be pulling out of Narnia and people would stiller her she was hot.

I shoved my phone in my pocket. I'd been texting Scott for the past 2 hours; he was overly hyped about his date with Allison. He couldn't quite seem to grasp the concept that she liked him therefore he didn't need to do anything but be himself. Sitting up I rubbed a hand wearily across my forehead, I had been sat there for two hours helping Dori go through her wardrobe for something 'Lydia wooing' worthy. I felt like Han when he finally got out of carbonite, tired and with a pounding headache…or is that just my brain tap dancing to AC/DC?

"What's wrong with you today?" She stopped and spun towards me scowling like I'd personally insulted her. Her hands still gripped that ruffled piece of purple and mine still rubbed at my tender head.

"What's wrong? Oh I don't know, maybe the fact I'm going to a party which I don't want to go to because you want to get drunk, and attempt to get into the pants of the most popular girl in school…who also happens to be dating the biggest jackass in school who wants to kill me more than Voldemort wanted to kill Harry!" I was having a bad day. I was being forced to a place I was completely uncomfortable being at and I was lying to both Norman and Mum to do it. I'm a crap liar. I can't lie at all and I don't like lying unless for very good reasons. Being Dori's sidekick for her sexual exploits was not a good enough reason.

"You can always drop me off and come pick me up later, you know…" She turned back to her closet, the purple shirt was an apparent no then.

"Except the fact that you could get so drunk you won't call me or you could get taken advantage of, raped, murdered, a whole host of other things that I don't need happening! Did you forget the girl who was found dead in the woods this week?!" Everyone seemed to forget about that girl other than the Sheriff. School went on like normal, gossip was about who slept with who, and life was pretty much what it had been all summer. Ordinary.

"You sound like mum, stop being so melodramatic. Besides I'd kick their asses if they attacked me…" I rolled my eyes and fell back against the covers with a sigh. I wasn't trying to change her mind. If anything I was trying to convince myself that going was a good idea, that it would be better than watching Firefly for the thousandth time that year.

Life had become a large ball game of do I go like any normal teenager or do I stay wallowing in my pit that I call a room. While wallowing was infinitely more enjoyable, I had promised Dori I'd go and I'd promised myself that I'd at least try and do some typically teenage things-anything from going to a party filled with alcohol to watching a school sports game.

"Someone has to be the responsible one. You're lucky Mum and Norman believed your lie about going over Danny's, they wouldn't let you out the house for weeks if they knew!" Danny had even been dragged into the cover story. Mum had made Dori phone him up just to prove that we were in fact hanging around his house and not turning into drug addicts or bounty hunters.

"I know…" She sighed and put down the pile of fabric in her hands and turned back to me, her brow furrowed "Charlotte, are you okay?" I sat back up and shot her a tired look, dragging a hand over my mouth and chin. Was I okay? _No, no I'm not._

"I…I'm just on edge. I'm still getting use to the whole high school thing and I'm constantly second guessing myself…the other day I asked for a rubber in economics class. Apparently that means I asked for a condom rather than an eraser. And then I asked Scott where the loo was and he stared at me until I said toilet. Sometimes it feels like I'm speaking another language entirely! I'm constantly worried I'm going to mess up and do something stupid…I'm just…." I ran a hand frantically through my hair as I rambled on. Being here, being around people who were the same, but different was hard. It was like I'd been dropped onto an alien planet except I didn't have a phaser or Scotty to beam me back home when it gets too much.

"Yeah I know…it's going to take time. We hardly went out during the summer, we were bound to have issues when we finally started interacting with people….I hope you at least had a laugh about the condom thing?"

"Scott and Stiles' faces were priceless, I wish I had had a camera ready…" They had stared at me all wide-eyed as if I'd just killed a kitten or something-the type of slack jawed look that happened in sitcoms or movies. It had been a highlight of my Thursday, despite the awkwardness that surrounded the three of us later during the day. Apparently it had stuck in their minds for a long time… _teenage boys…_

I rose slowly from the bed and pushed Dori aside, looking through her wardrobe myself; she had an array of colours, shapes, fabrics, patterns, and god knows what else. I pulled out a top, simple, flattering, what she wanted and what I needed so I did not spend another hour mulling over pieces of clothing. She accepted with a surprised smile and I left her there before making my way to my own room.

I would gladly avoid getting changed from my usual stained jeans and comfortable t-shirts, but I wasn't willing to stand out that much. So I changed. I changed into an actual nice pair of jeans and a formal top, before collapsing into my desk chair and pulling out my phone. I had a whole hour to waste. I toyed with the idea of talking to one of my friends back home or phoning Stiles, but decided against it.

Then I remembered, Stiles had been researching werewolves…it sparked my curiosity. I wasn't going to tell him that of course, he was naturally skittish and would most likely stare at me as if I'd lost my mind or turned into some sort of robot. I wasn't quite sure what worried him so much about me knowing, I figured he was scared of being ridiculed…but the worry was still present after I told him it was perfectly fine. Perhaps I was being paranoid, but a little voice at the back of my mind told me that this was something. Not nothing, but definitely something. Whether it was good or bad, I didn't know. But like Hermione Granger I was going to find out as much as I could, which meant Wikipedia.

I didn't really learn much, the typical myths; the idea of Fenrir and little Red Riding hood, a few supposed encounter stories with people with glowing eyes and fangs. But nothing substantial and nothing really new. Not that I had expected to find anything. I mean it was _werewolves_ what did I expect a full blown biological run down and a stats sheet? 10 points to Stamina, -50 points to control…

"We've got go! We'll be late!" A loud banging came from the door to my room, which had been slammed open.

"Wha'?" My head shot up blearily and I blinked slowly trying to wake myself up. Apparently at some point during my Google search I'd fallen asleep face first on the desk…I'm ashamed to say I even drooled a little.

"Get up, we've got to go" I stumbled to my feet and grabbed my set of keys off my desk, wiping the drool hastily from my mouth. I really was not a graceful sleeper, it was a problem.

I followed Dori, who had outdone herself appearance wise…it was kind of like looking at Inara Sera except Dori wasn't a highly trained and paid prostitute…or at least that I was aware of. The car was still its usual shoddy self, with its rusting red paint. Although there was now a large scratch up the side from Jackson Whittemore who had decided it would be fun to take a key to it in his spare time. I know right? His exact words were 'that piece of crap can't get any worse anyway' yeah…he really didn't like me, did I mention that?

The ride to the party was quiet, I was internally freaking out, Dori was internally freaking out… The whole car was about 99.6% freaking out and it was a ball of sunshine. I'd never been to Lydia's house. Dori had been once or twice that week, but I didn't even really speak to the redhead so I didn't have a reason to visit her. But her house? Well if we compare it to say mine or even Stiles' it was massive. I was used to the relatively comfortable suburban, wood framed houses which were very much family orientated. Lydia's house was like something out of a magazine, it was gigantic, brick, and the fanciest place I'd seen in a long while. It fit perfectly with her whole Queen Bee Persona.

The drive way and surrounding road was packed with cars and it took me a good 5 or so minutes to actually find somewhere to park. It was like the entirety of Beacon Hills High School had decided to show up, which wouldn't surprise me. But it did unsettle me.

I was about to wish her good luck when Dori flew out of the car and marched up the driveway. I felt like the Imperial March should have been playing. She might not woo Lydia today, but she'd damn well try. Besides we're here for good, even if it took her years she'd probably get there. Dori had a way about her that was both infuriating and intoxicating, she was a confident ball of sass and badassery, like River Song or Professor McGonagall.

As I got out the car and locked it my phone went off in my pocket. I was confused as to who could possibly need me at this very moment, I had expected mum telling me to be careful. Not a floppy haired boy who was currently freaking out not that far away from me.

**I CAN'T DO THIS- Scott**

I had been receiving texts like that since we hit 2 in the afternoon, he'd been texting nonstop until about an hour ago when I'd somehow managed to calm him down. That or he'd gone to Stiles to vent instead which was a very large possibility.

**Yes you can. Go dance with Allison, get her a drink, and be yourself. I'll be inside in a sec. Calm Down**

I began walking up the large driveway. When I said cars were parked everywhere I wasn't exaggerating, it was like an obstacle course. I got the sudden urge to do army rolls off the bonnet of cars and sneak my way to the front door. One car in particular, a baby blue jeep, grabbed my attention. Both the wonder twins would be here tonight which was kind of comforting. As was the moonlight that lit the dark pathway, Lydia really needed to invest in some garden lights.

**What if I mess up?-Scott**

The inside of the house was just as grand although it'd probably look a lot my elegant if it wasn't for the drunk, sweaty bodies of teenagers crowding the hallways. I had never been to a party before and I could already tell I didn't like it, posh house or not. It was chock-a-block with bodies, loud music, and the smell of alcohol. I couldn't see Scott anywhere, I couldn't see Stiles, or any of the people I'd been slowly introduced to. It was like looking at a sea of strangers…

**Talking to me right now is messing up. Entertain your date, Scott.-**

I had no idea what I was supposed to be doing and made my way to what was presumably the kitchen. I had finished pouring myself a coke when a hand gripped my elbow gently and I found myself staring at Danny. I liked Danny, Danny was nice. He was like some sort of gentle giant. He towered over me, had muscles on his muscles, and would probably be terrifying if I didn't get along with him so well…I just didn't hang around him that much since he was always with Jackson and Lydia. But Dori and I had Art class with him…why he took art I'm not sure, he said on multiple occasions how much he hated it.

"Hey, Danny!" I took a sip from my glass and leant back against the counter top. Danny looked like he'd had a few to drink, but he didn't look absolutely smashed just yet. It was probably for the best, I don't if I'd be able to handle the level of sass a drunk Danny would have. He was practically the King of all things Sarcastic and wonderful. It filled me with a warmth to know it wasn't a lost art.

"Hey, you come with Theo?" He took to leaning besides me and I soaked in the companionable atmosphere, it was good to just have someone to casually talk to. None of this 'are you okay?' 'how was therapy?' stuff I'd been getting from Tweedle Dumb and Tweedle Dee. As much as I liked the two of them they had, since Wednesday, been focused on stuff like that. The serious stuff or I'd end up talking to Scott about Allison which was even worse after you've been subjected to it for a long period of time.

"Yeah, I'm on driving duty…" It was the pain of being the one able to drive, I probably could have told her to get a lift from someone else, but I didn't want to leave her alone. Dori was a hard-ass, cold, and sometimes a bitch, but she meant a lot. It was probably unhealthy how much I was willing to do for her. All in the name of family, right?

"Parties aren't really your thing are they?" Danny tried to bump my shoulder with his own but ended up bumping my head instead. Tipsy Danny was pretty funny to be around. He was a lot more relaxed than when he was at school. He also didn't seem to comprehend height differences. I should probably watch out, just in case an elbow takes my eye out.

"Nah…" Another sip from my coke and a hand dipped into a bag of M&Ms that were sat on the side, why I don't know…but I'm kind of glad they were, I was hungry…don't judge me. _God, I love M &Ms…bless the person who invented them…_

"Come on!" I was pulled from stuffing my face by Danny pulling on my hand like a 6 year old with its mother. I can't imagine being able to have a child who grew that tall. The genes wouldn't work, I'd need to marry a giant, and I'm talking Chewbacca or Hagrid, to counteract the short family gene.

"What?" I was sure I looked dumbstruck as I pushed my glasses up the bridge of my nose again. I really needed to get better fitting glasses, one of these days they're going to fall off and I'll be plunged into a world of blurry shapes and colours.

"Dance with me, I'm not letting any friend of mine get stuck alone when they could be having fun with me" Oh yeah, Danny was definitely tipsy. Maybe I should take his cup from him…the idea of me dancing was completely laughable. Unless it was the Macarena or the Cha Cha Slide. I could totally ace that.

"I don't know…I can't really dance" Last time I danced it caused a hurricane. I'm joking, but it wasn't good. It was a traumatic experience, prom was incredibly uncomfortable… _I get two proms don't I? Huh…Maybe the next one'll be less horrifying…_

"Doesn't matter, come on…I promise you can spy on McCall and his little date while we're dancing" Oh right…I was supposed to be helping Scott with Allison, or at least be around. He was hopefully actually talking to her and not freaking out. My phone hadn't gone off in a while so I could hope. I wasn't even the best person to ask for dating advice, what did I know? I'd been celibate for 16 whole years…it was like asking Shrek for relationship advice, why're you asking the person whose lived in a swamp alone for years? Ask the Love Guru down the street!

"…Fine, but only cause I love you, Danny" I let him pull me away from the M&Ms and the solitude of the kitchen and through the house.

"Who doesn't?" Outside was actually really beautiful, fairy lights had been strung up across the trellis above the pool and the music was loud, but had a nice feeling to it. I could see Dori scowling at Lydia and Jackson who were making out rather heavily against a pillar….which was really disgusting.

I let Danny pull me into a stupid dance, all arms, legs, and silly faces. It was nice to just relax and let it all out, everyone it seems was too drunk or busy to care about my dancing anyway. I spotted Allison and Scott dancing intimately beside the pool. I was kind of proud, at least he'd stopped freaking out and grown a pair. I was more concerned with Dori who was scowling...she'd come out for a good time and she was probably feeling really attacked right now.

I hauled Danny over to her and pulled her into a dance with us. A smile twitched at the corners of her mouth as we did an imitation of the Macarena to some upbeat song I didn't know the name of. Who needed to dance well or cool when you could act like an idiot? Or in Dori's case 'I'm drunk, the girl I want is eating her boyfriend's face and I could really do with having a laugh right now'.

At some point Dori slipped away and I looked up when I heard yelling. She and Jackson were stood beside the pool edge. Jackson's features were set in Angry Face #3, and Dori had a wild look in her eyes. Lydia was standing beside them balancing on a pair of high heels looking very much annoyed with them. I stalked towards them, past Allison and Scott who were too distracted with each other to notice the confrontation taking place meters away from them.

"Screw you!" I was catching the tail-end of their argument, Dori was red in the face and her fists were held tightly at her sides. Clenching and unclenching…she looked ready to punch him in the face, I'd be happy to see it. It would honestly make me happy to see someone finally punch the egotist in the face like he deserved.

"Says the World Class Whore!"

"OI!" I found myself yelling across to him as I approached dead set on giving him a piece of my mind. That was my sister he was talking about. He had no right, not when I'm fully aware of his place on the STI scale. If there was ever a whore in this world it was Jackson Whittemore.

By the time I go there I stopped short, eyes wide as I watched Dori shove Jackson roughly who then fell with a great splash and a storm trooper stock scream into the pool. I let out an astonished laugh before Dori was shoved into the pool by Lydia who was dragged in by Dori's hand on her wrist. It was a great big massive pool shove and it was both glorious to watch and had me wincing…Half drowning a girl probably isn't the best method to win her over…

As I looked around I noticed nobody had stopped moving, nobody had stopped drinking and dancing…it was if it never happened. They were far too engrossed in their own affairs to notice the trio of teenagers who'd taken a flop into the pool. It was almost hilarious.

My fun ended when I spotted Scott shoving his way through the crowds, Allison following on his heels looking decidedly unhappy. I rushed my way towards them having to shoulder my way through the crowds of teenagers.

"Yo, Scott, you good?" I saw Scott stumble his way past Stiles, who I hadn't seen all night. I followed after the 3 of them. Scott looked tremendously unwell; His eyes looked dazed, and he was sweating like he was having a panic attack. Stiles look positively worried, like he was about to lay an egg worried. I had an uneasy feeling settling in my stomach.

"Scott, Stiles!" I called out to the two of them as they jumped into their individual cars, both ignoring me as I stumbled to a halt besides an upset Allison. I shouldn't have been so hurt that they didn't acknowledge me, after all something was going on that was more important than me yelling at them across a drive.

They were out of sight within seconds and I came to the realisation I'd have to do damage control. I wasn't in the mood. Whatever good mood I had had been ripped away by the duo who had sped out of here like hell hounds were chasing them.

"Allison…you alright? W-what, um, happened?" I rested a hand on her arm, she looked absolutely distraught. I could see why, this was supposed to be their first date and Scott up and leaves? I'd definitely be having a few words with him.

"I don't know…" Her voice was weak and heavy with confusion "He…I thought we were having a good time…a-and I thought…I thought he was going to kiss me and then he…h-he just ran away…" I rubbed her arm, trying to be reassuring. There wasn't really much I could do to reassure her. I didn't know why Scott left. All I knew was that he liked her a lot.

"It had to have been a good reason, he's been bugging me all evening about you…he really likes you, I'm sure it was important…he's still an arse, bu-" I was interrupted by a tall man, older than us by perhaps a few years. His hair was dark and his eyes were disconcertingly hard, despite the sharp smile he sent towards both of us…

"Allison" His voice was confident and put me ill at ease "I'm a friend of Scott's…my name is Derek, he asked me to give you a ride home" That unease grew when he supposedly knew Scott; I didn't pretend to know all of Scott's friends, but he didn't seem like the type to hang out with Scott or even someone Scott would enjoy the company of.

I pulled Allison off to the side talking to her in a low voice "I don't…Allison I don't think you should go home with him…you don't know if he's actually Scott's friend, if you just wait a bit I can take you home! Just let me get Dori…" I'd feel so much better if I took her home myself, this guy, 'Derek', screamed stranger danger more than Greenberg screamed idiot.

"It's really okay, I'll be fine…" She consoled me, smiling as if that was supposed to make me feel better.

"I…I still don't think this is a good idea…" I protested, trailing off when she just shot me a stubborn look.

"Charlotte. I'll be fine. I'm a big girl, I can make my own decisions." Allison insisted.

I sighed in defeat. "Text me when you get home safe," I demanded. At least then I could give a pretty accurate description to the police if she went missing and they needed help finding her bloodthirsty murderer.

"Okay." I felt like I was making some sort of stupid mistake, but there wasn't much I could do short of kidnapping her myself. 'Why did you kidnap Allison Argent?' 'Well you see, Sheriff, I was trying to prevent her from being kidnapped and/or brutally murdered'.

"Promise me?"

"I promise…I'll be fine" I tried to feel comfortable with this, but I was as comfortable about her going home with Derek as I was with the fact that Stiles and Scott had ignored me on their way out…

"Okay…I'll see you later then…" I answered trying to sound confident with her decision, but it came out unsure.

"She'll be fine. I'll make sure she gets home safe." Derek was smiling at me as if he knew what was going through my head. There was something unnatural about that smile, like he had seen too much sadness. It was definitely not a real smile, he wasn't happy.

"…Oh I bet you will…" I muttered under my breath watching them get into his fancy ass car and drive away, before stalking towards the house. I wasn't in the mood to stay and I wanted to go home, I wasn't taking no for an answer. Either Dori came willingly or I'd drag her back to the car by her ear.

I found her dripping wet sitting in her sodden clothes on a sofa in what was apparently the living room. She was absolutely smashed and wallowing in what she had apparently done earlier. Her lips were pulled into a frown as she took a deep gulp from the bottle of beer in her hand. If I hadn't known better I would have said she'd been crying, but Dori wasn't a crier…at all. The only time I'd seen her cry was when she'd badly shattered the bone in her arm when she was twelve.

"Dori…" I questioned lightly, crouching down slowly in front of her. Her eyes found mine and I saw the irritation there, not at me…but at herself. She'd done something stupid tonight and it'd take a lot of effort to get back in Lydia Martin's good books. But she could do it. It would take some time, but this was Dori. She'd be fine. She had to be fine. Everything seemed to be going badly tonight.

"Mmmm?"

"Time to go home…okay?" She nodded and put her bottle down following me numbly out of the house.

The ride back home was quiet and as was getting into the house, I helped Dori up the stairs and got her into bed. Luckily mum and Norman were asleep. I didn't feel like dealing with them, but I needed to talk to someone. So as I sat there on the edge of Dori's bed smoothing out the blonde hairs on her head I came to a decision. I was going to skype an old friend. No matter if he was busy or not. Ben was going to answer my call.

That's how I found myself in my pajamas at 12 pm crossed legged with a laptop across my lap, staring at the face of my old friend. Ben was an average sort of guy; tall, blonde, blue-eyed, and smart. He wasn't the type of person I'd typically go to for sensitive matters…because well he wasn't sensitive. At all. But I just needed to talk to someone about all the shit that had gone down in my first week of school.

I was a complete mess and it was the first thing that he mentioned 'you look like shit' well thanks, mate…I love you too. I knew I looked bad; my hair was a puffy, frizzy rats nest, there were bags under my eyes, my make-up from earlier was smudged, and I was absolutely shattered.

I told him all about how a girl had been found dead in the woods, how my therapist had been a complete bitch face, how I'd hung out with Stiles and Scott, and then all that happened at the party that evening. Everything from hanging out with Danny to Allison getting a ride from Derek. Luckily she had text me not long after I'd gotten in that she was safe and sound in her bed…and that Stiles had come to check on her surprisingly. I didn't like how hurt that made me feel.

"So they just up and left? Didn't say a word when you called after them?" He was tossing a red bouncy ball from hand to hand nonchalantly while leaning back in his desk chair. It was nice to hear his voice again, even if it was about this.

"Yeah…I mean maybe I should be more concerned about Scott…he seemed really ill…" Maybe it was a bit selfish of me to be worrying about how they ignored me rather than the fact Scott was very obviously not very well. I had sent the two of them a tonne of texts over the last half hour and had yet to get any form of response. I felt completely alone for the first time that week.

"No. Let me guess? You did your usual clingy personal space invading stuff right? You've been hanging out with them and sitting with them, hugging them, leaning all over them like some sort of cat turned human?" He said it knowingly almost accusatory. But he was right. Of course he was right.

"I guess…"I was embarrassed to admit it when it was all laid out on the table like that. For me that was just normal behaviour, I like someone so let's hug them. I find that person comfortable let's lean across them…I don't really think about it before I do it. Because well, there's not much to think about right? Was it wrong to want to be close to someone? Was I alienating them with my behaviour?

"That might be your problem. Look, you're clingy. You've always been physical. I'm not trying to be mean, I'm just saying... It's not normal for you to get like that after knowing someone for a week…" And there it was wasn't it? I was being clingy. Of course I was, what sort of person just hugs someone after meeting them because they opened their locker for them? What sort of person spends their evening playing with someone's hands or hugging them? An abnormally clingy person with personal space issues. God, I was such an idiot! It wasn't a hard concept to grasp…and yet I messed up. Even Dori told me I was a little to physical sometimes, and yet I still did it.

"So what? I've scared them off?!" I ran a hand through my hair tugging at it.

"Ben they're my friends…I really like them…" And I did, they were kind and they made me laugh. Scott was a big puppy and Stiles was probably one of the funniest goofballs I had met while at Beacon Hills…I don't want to not be friends with them. I like spending time with them and eating lunch with them. Heck I liked the Sheriff and cooking dinner for him and Stiles…

"Just give them some space. Hang out with Theo and her group, maybe let them go about their day without you for a few days? Or a week?" A week? Okay, I could do that right…it's not like it'll kill me. Besides I can spend more time with Danny and help Dori get back in Lydia's good books. Obviously spending more time with Jackson was about as appealing as being strung up my toes over a fire pit, but it was only a week…right?

"I…"A hand came up to massage my temple that had begun to pound, and I watched Ben take a sip from a glass beside him before turning back to me.

"I know you don't want to…but you might be annoying the shit out of them." It was blunt. I understood that it was Ben, but that hurt. Was I really doing that? Was I being irritating and getting on their nerves? Maybe that had been why they were always whispering when I wasn't around…Maybe I had brought this all on myself. After all it wouldn't have been the first time that I pissed somebody off by being clingy.

I stared at him for a little while, trying to figure out what had changed in the months I'd been gone. His hair was longer, his eyes were slightly harsher…did Ben not want to speak to me either? Was I annoying him as well? What about Dori? Is that why she spent time with another group of friends? Was all of this just me…was I just an annoying little shit?

"Okay…thanks…" I sighed heavily, there was no use dwelling. I'd give Scott and Stiles their distance. I wouldn't phone, I wouldn't text, and I wouldn't talk to them or hang around them. I'd give them a complete Charlotte free week. If that didn't work…then I don't know. I don't know what to do about this friendship or how to interact with them without weirding them out…I felt like an alien…I felt like River Tam, a complete freak who doesn't seem to understand people.

"It's okay… I'll talk to you later, I've got to go." I felt that that rung hollow, like he didn't mean it. He hadn't even messaged me on his own terms once…except when he wanted to bitch about someone behind their backs. I probably wouldn't get to talk to him for weeks…

"Bye." But I let him go anyway.

I turned off my laptop and snuggled under my covers pulling my glasses off. I tossed and turned for what felt like hours, my eyes wide open and my heart feeling numb. Had I really been so oblivious? This was like dad all over. He'd found me too much…he'd left and now I was making them leave too and it hadn't even been that long. I…I really couldn't wait for my next therapy session that's for sure. I needed it. Everyone seemed to be distancing themselves or something else was going on that was busying them. Heck I couldn't even keep Allison from getting into a car with a stranger! What sort of friend was I?

The bed felt too soft underneath me, the covers felt too warm, the moonlight drifting through my windows felt too cold. Nothing was right. It took me a good 3 hours to drift off to sleep and when I did it was restless, filled with cold voices, kindly pointing out each of my flaws, smiling like they were doing me a favour. Recollections of arguments and actions…it was like a haunting. When I woke the next morning, I felt like I hadn't slept at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you thought of this chapter either here or on my tumblr imaginesofeveryfandom :) Thank you, lovelies!


	5. Chapter 5

The weekend had been a case of me switching my phone to silent and hoping beyond all hopes that the dastardly duo, Scott and Stiles, didn't try and find me. I wanted to give them space, and I supposed that if that meant spending more time with Lydia Martin and Jackson Whittemore then I could make that sacrifice. If Frodo could spent a god awful amount of time carrying around an evil ring of power, then I could dodge the boys and spend time with other people.

When I say I hoped they didn't find me…well I meant that I hoped they didn't physically come and get me. And they had. Individually. Scott had been the first. Dori had turned him away when she found him knocking on the front door asking to speak with me. She told him to jog on or something to that effect. I could see his hurt puppy dog look from my vantage point at my window. Stiles had showed up later, on the Sunday at 11: 09 pm to be exact. I had rocks thrown at my window, a multitude of text messages, and one voice mail:

_"Charlotte…hey, uh…it's Stiles…look, um, me and Scott don't know what we've done…if…if this is about the whole party incident and not responding to your messages we get it…but we could…I don't know…would you just call? Please? We're worried…and um, I don't…just please call me or Scott okay? I'll…um…I'm...bye, Lottie…"_

I'd felt terrible for not phoning either of them back, for not texting them, for ignoring them, but as much as I had my doubts about what I was doing, I figured that if it was true…if I was annoying them …then maybe they needed some space. It was one week, not a death sentence. We'd all be fine. If an emergency came about then I'd just postpone the avoidance.

When school finally came around again on the Monday I hadn't wanted to get out of my nice, warm bed. Mum had yelled and I had murmured in discontent at being risen…I wallowed in the shower practically numb and had thrown on the first pieces of clothing I could find. It was a day in which my usually sunny disposition was about as bright as London during December when it was pouring down. That's to say, not very.

I had been uneasily glancing this way and that when Dori approached me. Her face was covered by a large, extremely extravagant bouquet of all sorts of colours and smells. There were roses, lilies, I think I even saw a sunflower…It led to the question of why she had a bouquet in the middle of school-I didn't remember her having it when I drove her to school this morning. The creation was massive, so I doubt that I had missed it. It was larger than my bloody torso!

"I need a favour." We were stood directly in the middle of the hallway by our lockers. I wasn't too worried about class, I had a free period next and I'd probably procrastinate whilst pretending I'm actually doing some form of work. However, I had Lydia during my free period and if she saw me she'd most likely have an aneurysm-I looked even more disheveled than normal thanks to more reluctance to come to school this morning.

"What…?" I was sure the expression on my face was one of annoyance. The whole weekend had been a case of 'favours' all of which included trying to gain Lydia's forgiveness or smoothing over the ruffles between Dori and Jackass…Jackass who really didn't like me bear that in mind.

"Just…I don't know give Lydia the flowers?" Her hands lowered the bouquet so I could actually see her face rather than just a small slice holding her blue eyes. She looked fretful. Her bottom lip was caught between her teeth and her nose was wrinkled up in worry. She had been completely out of sorts after the whole fiasco on Friday night and completely hung-over on the Saturday…I had to lie and say she'd caught food poisoning of some sort. I don't think mum believed me, although Norman was pretty happy to agree with my diagnosis. _Of course he was. Norman would go along with anything to keep everyone happy._

"You want me to give Lydia a bouquet of expensive flowers from you? Are you trying to buy her forgiveness?" Naturally she wouldn't do it herself because that would be too hard. Being errand girl was getting slightly overrated. I wanted a new job, perhaps as President? I could totally make health care and education reforms to sort this country out…and everyone would get a pony on their 18th Birthday to fulfil childhood wishes. Yeah, I'd be a much better President than errand girl…

She rolled her eyes in answer, shifting from foot to foot slightly, her hands gripping the stems of the bouquet. I was suddenly aware of all the eyes on us…I'm sure it looked like she was trying to hit on me or something equally as weird. I had the urge to shout 'She's my sister!' at the surrounding students.

"Of course you are…You're killing two birds with one stone, woo Lydia and get forgiven…genius plan, Batman" I'm sure I looked about ready to throttle her with her own hair tie at the moment. On one hand I really did think that Lydia and Dori would be pretty good together, they were both equally manipulative and smart, but on the other I really wasn't feeling up to it that day. Had I been in a happy mood with smiles and cheer perhaps I'd be more inclined to take part in the mission bestowed upon me…but I was feeling like complete and utter paranoid crap.

"Please?!"

"Why should I?" My eyes were still darting about the hallway, watching the doors to classrooms and bathrooms for one head of cropped hair and one head of floppy hair. In lesson I had to just ignore them outright; not look, not talk, not even acknowledge. The longer I ignored them the more I doubted Ben's consensus…if I was annoying them why would they try and talk to me? But I reasoned that I should just persist. If I stopped now I'd be asked why I avoided them in the first place. I didn't want that conversation at all.

"Because Lydia's still avoiding me, and I'm the only one you can sit with now that you're avoiding the Wonder Twins. Why are you avoiding them anyway?" The bouquet was practically scraping the floor, the tips of the petals grazing the tiles. I reached out a hand to her wrist and brought the bouquet back up. If I was ever going to do this I was not giving Lydia a half destroyed bunch of flowers…that would be a literal death sentence and I quite liked my life you see, thank-you-very-much.

"None of your bees wax. Keep that bloody thing off the floor!" Her hand had dropped again before she flinched bringing it back up. Telling Dori why I was avoiding Scott and Stiles would just end in an argument about how I shouldn't listen to a thing anyone says…Dori and Ben had always had a very unbalanced friendship. One minute they were pretty close, the next they were ready to rip each other's heads off. It was enough to give you motion sickness.

"Fine…Fine, just please?"

I was still looking around the hallway, the tension in my shoulders enough to work a dark age's catapult, when I spotted the aforementioned boys. I wretched the bouquet from Doro's hands to cover my face and began walking swiftly in the opposite direction, like a really bad detective hiding in some form of shrubbery. I'm pretty sure I heard the boys call my name, but despite my short legs I somehow managed to duck into the library quick enough that they didn't follow me or even seem to be aware of where I had ended up. I wasn't complaining, I was supposed to be in the library during free period anyway…

I rested my head back against the door heavily with a thud and exhaled a deep, exhausted breath. A sharp irritated cough opened my eyes. At the sight of the pointed nosed, stern looking librarian known as Ms. Beecham, I sent a sheepish smile and stood straight, approaching one of the many desks in the room, bouquet still clutched in my hand like a dead weight.

I couldn't see Lydia in the room just yet, but I knew she'd turn up within the next few minutes. As much as she denied it that girl was smart, ruthless, and extremely good at studying. While we didn't spend a lot of time together and we didn't really have anything in common, our few Study periods were spent together. If I didn't understand something she'd offer to help and she got to spend the hour critiquing my clothes and telling me how'd she'd fix it…and on the rare occasion I would help her…but that was so extremely rare it was like the one weapon in a RPG that 1/800000 people find. So we had a mutually beneficial relationship of sorts with equal amounts of annoyance on both sides of the fence.

I rested the bouquet on the table, being careful not to bend or break the petals. If I was going to be Cupid I was going to be a bloody good one. Which meant nice, intact flowers and attempting to apologise for my Step-Sister's pool pushing incident. Let's face it, it would take a brilliant speaker to get Dori out of the hole she had dug herself. I let my rucksack fall to the floor off my arm and relaxed in one of the not so comfortable chairs the library supplied us with. I wanted a nice big leather arm chair, maybe even a crackling fire place. That would certainly make me study for whatever miserable test Harris had set us to learn for.

It had been 5 minutes and my main concern at that moment was most definitely not the World History textbook that was staring back at me, despite loving history, despite it being my best subject…I just couldn't seem to care today. The soft clacking of heels against the ground made me aware of her approach. I let my eyes follow her as her skirt swayed and her hair swished before she sat in the chair in front of me like normal. She eyed the bouquet with a risen eyebrow and green eyes full of questions.

I picked the bouquet up and passed it to her carefully "From Dori, she says she's really sorry about Friday…she didn't mean to drag you into the pool…or push Jackson in. She was completely drunk and she was being stupid…she misses you a lot…" I watched her examine the flowers, twisting them, turning them, and looking at every petal, every leaf. It was as if she was pinpointing exactly where they came from and whether they were worth her forgiveness. There was a softness in her eyes that most would have missed, but she covered it well and placed the flowers down gently besides her stuff. Her hands folded on the table surface as she turned her attention back to me. I always felt somewhat like petri dish covered in bacteria under a microscope around her, she was observant and took note of every little detail she could find. It's what made her, her I guess…

"Why do you do that?" She was reaching for a mirror and her lip gloss from her bag, a move she did quite frequently during the day. Sometimes it was habitually and sometimes you could see her carefully planning out her movements. Lydia Martin was fascinating and I could see why she held Dori's attention so fervently.

"Do…what?" I asked as she applied a liberal coating of gloss to her lips. I turned the page to my textbook absentmindedly, it was the usual information about Hitler after his placement as President in 1933. A few facts about the Nazi-Soviet pact…in effect nothing out of the ordinary and usually it would have my eyes fixed to the page, like a starving man trying to take in all the information. But Lydia wanting to know something about me was odd and it had captured my attention.

"Why do you call Theo, Dori?" That stopped me short for a moment. I froze in my chair and frowned at the desk…why did I call her Dori and not Theo like everyone else? I had been doing it since I was 5 or 6 years old and had been in her class in Infants School…

"I don't know if you've noticed, but it annoys the hell out of her…" Originally of course I was only 6 it was just because I liked how it sounded, she may not really have cared for me at that age but I liked calling her Dori. When we got older, when we became siblings I suppose I realised just how annoyed it made her. It was the only thing I could hold over her. It was my one weapon I suppose.

"You know…I think that there's a lot you can teach me." There was the upturn to Lydia's mouth, not quite a smile, but the most she'd ever given me. Her voice was coated with mischief. I came to the realisation that I was turning into an asset versus Dori's Step-Sister with a bad taste in clothes who needed help in Maths.

"You want me to teach you?" I practically choked on my own saliva. Since when had I been able to teach Lydia anything? She knew practically everything. She could very easily find out how to annoy Dori on her own, she was certainly smart enough!

"If you also let me sort out that ghastly closet of yours…I mean really, Charlotte? You look like you've stepped out of the forest after 2 weeks of absent wandering" I'd give her that. My hair hadn't been brushed and was reminiscent of Hermione Granger's (book Hermione, not film Hermione), my eyes had dark bags underneath them, my jeans were baggy and covered in marks, and I'd thrown on a T-shirt I usually only wore to bed for the exact reason that it was falling apart at the seams…quite literally there were small holes dotted here and there across the fabric.

"If I let you, do you promise not to put a billion different skirts and dresses in it? I want trousers Lydia. I want t-shirts. I want to maintain a level of nerdiness" I also would refuse any form of heel she offered me. I could make concessions, I could easily wear a different shirt or whatever, but wearing something I wasn't comfortable in wasn't going to happen anytime soon…I don't even know why I was letting her make these terms…I could just not teach her how to annoy Dori, but I supposed then I wouldn't get to see Dori try not to get pissed. I was definitely looking forward to it, I'd feel guilty later, but for the moment I felt some glee in having some control.

"How about I make it Nerd chic?" She threw a calculating look across the desk to me and I was pretty sure a look of pure and utter confusion was plastered across my features…Nerd chic? What kind of torturous thing was that? _Chic is a weird word…_

"I don't know what that is…but it sounds like a compromise…So what do you want to know about irritating Dori?" She looked absolutely horrified that I didn't know what 'Nerd Chic' meant, but let it go when she realised I had agreed. It caused this self-satisfied, the cat that got the cream look to pass across her face.

"Everything." That's how we spent the majority of our study period. I would tell Lydia what annoyed Dori, what made Dori tick the way she did…nothing personal of course, just the normal things like how she really, really didn't like the words 'lol' and 'bae' or how calling her Theodora was a sure fire way to start a fight. In between that of course we did do work. But the main focus was how to get Dori back for Friday; even if Lydia liked the flowers she wasn't going to forgive so easily.

Lunch was when I found myself, head down surrounded by people I never sat with; Danny was to my right and Dori was to my left. I had been forced to tell her the outcome of the flowers 'Oh…she accepted them…uh…I think she's still mad' and she'd been disheartened, but really I couldn't just tell her Lydia was now fully happy because she'd get in even more trouble. It was…unbelievably awkward sat there at lunch, I could feel two pairs of brown eyes burning into my skin and Jackson wouldn't stop making snide comments or remarks about my presence.

I had been keeping to myself for most of it, head down, eating the array of cafeteria food on my tray. I didn't want to start anything, I didn't really feel like talking either. I was well aware that I was the outsider on that table, even more so than Greenburg who sat at the end creepily staring at everyone and trying to impress the school's power couple with his many tales of wonder…also known as boring stories about Lacrosse practice.

"What's up with Idiots 1 and 2 over there? They can't seem to stop staring at you? Did you screw one of them?" I followed Jacksons scowl before quickly turning back around. He was looking at Scott and Stiles who were still not looking away from me. I felt guiltier every second for not talking to them.

"What!? No!" I practically screeched it. Heads from other tables turned around to look at me and I ducked my head, tugging at my hair lightly. _Really, really need to work on volume, idiot…_

"Oh my mistake, I should have known. Even nerds have some standards." That actually hurt. Most of the things Jackson said where usually inconsequential, little jabs at my likes and interests, nothing that bothering. In fact I could almost always laugh it off, even when he shoves past me in the corridors or throws something at my head in class. But that hurt, I…I don't know it felt like he was trying to demean me in two ways. Firstly my looks, but secondly with the idea that the boys only interest in me was on such a superficial level…that they didn't want to be my friend…that's what hurt the most I think.

"Jackson." Dori reprimanded him, her voice harsh and abrupt. The table had in fact fallen silent at Jackson's words…even Lydia looked angry with him.

"What? I'm just telling the truth." He defended himself. He started to look unsure of himself at the reactions of everyone else. I played with my bottle of water spinning it in my hands slowly, trying to find anything but look at Jackson. I didn't know how Dori could stand being around him. He was a nasty piece of work, there was something fundamentally wrong with him. Something deep inside him was broken or twisted. He was too cruel to not have something wrong with his soul.

"No. You're being a dick." She argued.

"It's okay, Dori…because unlike Jackson here I won't die of syphilis…" I began collecting together my things, my movements were harsh and jerky. There was anger lacing my voice which I'm sure many of the people at that table were surprised to hear. I was usually a calm person.

"Screw you!" Any regret disappeared and was filled with anger at me. Any fear I would usually have for the moron was replaced with resentment. I couldn't be bothered to worry about him, I just wanted to get away.

"Where are you going?" Dori asked concerned. Her brow was furrowed, a hand reaching out to capture my forearm as I began to turn away from the table.

"Away from here. I'll see you in Art." I shrugged off her hand and stalked towards the cafeteria doors. I could see the boys trying to decide whether they should follow or not and sped my pace up.

I spent the rest of my lunch period sitting in the Girls' bathroom. It wasn't the nicest place of course to spend my time, it was dirty, smelled funny and I'm pretty sure had many different diseases lurking to attack me. But it was a place the boys couldn't get to me and for the most part I was left alone. The day wasn't going by quick enough, I felt like I was being hounded on all sides. Whether it was Jackson belittling me or the boys trying to corner me. I felt like pulling my hair out from the stress, it was so exhausting. Absolutely exhausting. It was only the start of the week as well.

By the time art came around I had somehow managed to hide the sadness that was welling up in me. It wasn't a crying, desperate sad either…it was a hollow aching feeling, like nothing was ever going to be bright again. Which of course I knew was complete bollocks. The world wasn't ending, I wouldn't be stuck with all this pressure forever at some point it would go back to being happy and if I had to pretend I was feeling okay for the others then I would.

"So how do I get Lydia?" I was sat in art class with Dori and Danny, It was a pretty relaxed class as lessons go. The teacher was pretty much never around and we were allowed to just mess about and talk. I don't know why Danny took art though…he can't draw and he doesn't really enjoy it…but I didn't mind having him there. Dori was once again trying to figure out a way to get to Lydia's cold, tactical heart.

"I don't know…first you need to get rid of Jackson, she's not going off with anyone while he's around…" I was distractedly drawing on a piece of sketch paper, my whole project was on people and just…it ended up being a focus on those I knew. Which meant if my brain felt like drawing someone it drew them. I didn't bother fighting it.

"So we kill him." I snapped my head up, my drawing hand stilling, and my face set. She looked absolutely serious. She looked fully prepared to go out and kill Jackson Whittemore all in the name of Lydia Martin…It was like the crusades all over again…

"We're not killing Jackson." Danny nodded in agreement to the point he began looking like some sort of bobble head.

"But you hate him…" She broached, her voice slow and confused. I did. I did hate him. I felt a deep, dark resentment for the boy. He didn't care for anyone, but himself. He was also incredible egotistical and ambitious to a fault…he seemed to embody multiple deadly sins.

"Yeah, but I don't agree with murder, we're not murdering Jackson." I returned to my drawing, shaking my head. This was not some James Bond movie, I had a Ford Mondeo rather than an Aston Martin, I didn't get Martinis, and I also didn't have an array of cool gadgets and people falling at my feet. Until such time I wasn't murdering anyone no matter how much I wanted to. I was fully aware it wouldn't be a loss if Jackson died. The world might just be a better place. Trumpets would ring out, people would cheer, the world would celebrate…but I wasn't keen on going to jail.

"What if it's an accident…?" I sighed loudly. What was she going to do? Just happen to throw a knife at him? Just happen to trip him down 4 flights of concrete stairs? Accidents don't just happen accidentally.

"We're not accidentally killing Jackson." I once again put my pencil down, and leant back in my chair, staring across at Dori who looked like and most probably was plotting a murder of epic proportions. The type of murder that would be talked about for decades to come. A ballad worthy murder.

"What if a wild animal…like say a Mountain Lion killed him?" Her hands swung out in a gesture of proposition, palms facing upwards. Her face set in a placating expression as if that would make me change my mind and become an accomplice to murder.

"We're not getting an animal to kill him. Nobody or nothing is bloody killing Jackson, he is staying very much alive and his usual prickish self!" I can't believe I was defending him, but I reasoned that this was actually just me staying to the moral high ground. Naturally killing Jackson was tempting on a deep level, the idea that I'd never have to deal with the twat again was something incredibly wonderful, but I didn't want to upset the Sheriff after all. All that paperwork wouldn't be good for his health, and naturally the Sheriff's health was my main priority along with making sure they didn't reboot the Ghostbusters and ruin the entire franchise. I had my petition out already….just 50,000 more signatures to go!

"…So what then?!" Dori whined, head collapsing onto her arms. Danny sat beside her, shaking with silent laughter at the pathetic display. Lydia was literally the only person I had ever seen reduce Dori to a childish whining mess of a woman. She certainly had a way about her, that's for sure. It was, however making my life difficult. I really didn't need to be dealing with Dori trying to murder people. I really didn't need her reverting into a seven year old girl either. What I needed was a cup of coffee and a big slice of cake to counteract the headache forming in my temple from the stressful day I've had.

"Look…It's not like their relationship is especially healthy, right? You just need to wait for it to collapse…then make your move…" Maybe I shouldn't have been encouraging swooping in and stealing someone else's girl, but did Jackson really deserve Lydia Martin? No. Jackson was in one word a pure dickhead. Lydia, whilst she was bratty, cold, and manipulative, was at the very least a decent person underneath whatever façade she seemed to be putting up. She'd shown me that earlier today in the Library. I was completely the type of person she should turn her nose up at, instead she'd been civil to me and downright hospitable.

"That could take forever! What if it doesn't even work?!" Her face fell into a look of melancholy and I was reminded of various songs about heartbreak. I felt like we needed our own backing track to get through the day. Our own little kid with a boom box following us around and playing appropriate tunes at set times.

"Danny?" I looked to the giant of a boy for help. If Dori was going to fall into a pit of self-pity she'd never get Lydia. It unnerved me just how large a character change Lydia could incite in people. Sometimes I wondered how she got so good at it…

"She's got a good plan." He agreed nodding in my direction, I felt a strange sense of pride in my chest.

"Look Jackson is an ass, but he's not letting her go without a reason…same with Lydia…just try and stay on her good side and when it breaks apart…well you'll have your opportunity." I watched him reason with her, and came to the conclusion that Danny was awesome. Everyone seemed to like Danny…He didn't step on any toes and he wasn't especially mean, but definitely funny. Danny was awesome.

"Thank you for agreeing with me, Danny" I smiled at him brightly before returning to my work, still keeping my ears open to the conversation. Dori had calmed down after Danny's approval of my master plan. Of course it had its kinks, but didn't everything? Life was full of kinks…and no I don't mean those sort of kinks although those are around too and nothing to be ashamed of.

"You're welcome, Nerd"

"So…where were you when you ran off at lunch today?" I glanced up at the two of them, biting my bottom lip dragging it between my teeth. There was something ultimately shameful about running away at lunch…I wasn't quite sure why I felt so bad about it. I had every right to leave that situation, Jackson wasn't exactly being the nicest person in the world.

"I did a moaning Myrtle." I answered, shading in the features on the page. I'd be keeping this for later…I had someone I wanted to give it to. If I ever got around to it that is. I'll probably forget about it and it'll stay at the back of my sketchbook forever never to be touched by a living soul again!

"Bathroom then?" Dori asked, a hand reached for a pot of red paint that was resting on my side of the desk. I helped push it further towards her so she could properly take it.

"Yep." The lesson dissolved into an unordered chaos after that. With nothing left to really talk about we turned rather hectic, it was like a scene out of a really cheap drama! Brooms were being swung about, paint was being thrown at the walls, and there was a lot of Bon Jovi being sung… because well Bon Jovi was awesome and everyone knew the words. Okay…that's an exaggeration, the paint didn't get thrown about. But there was a broom sword fight for all of 3 minutes until Dori hit me too hard and we did sing Bon Jovi. I really need to work on harmonising…

Once again I found myself trailing after Dori on the way to the Lacrosse pitch after class. Apparently she just wanted to watch and wasn't being made by Lydia or anyone else. I found it hard to believe she just wanted to watch a game of teenage boys throwing balls about while stroking their own egos. But I was more reluctant to go just because I knew Scott and Stiles would be there, after all they were on the team. Of course they'd be there. Especially now that Scott had made First Line and was going to play on Saturday.

The Lacrosse field was as per normal filled with teenage boys in Lacrosse gear. My eyes immediately darted to number 11, Scott, and number 24, Stiles. I yearned to speak to them so badly. I missed them and their company all day, it was like a self-imposed torture and I hated it. I just wanted to chat with them about silly things, watch a movie, eat fast food…I just wanted to talk to them again. I missed hearing their voices. I missed Stiles' stupid ideas and theories. I even missed Scott going on and on about Allison.

A voice in the back of my mind berated myself for become so attached so quickly. It had been three days since I'd last talked to them, and I already felt like I was missing a limb. Surely this wasn't normal, being so dependent on people you had only known a couple of weeks? I felt vaguely embarrassed, knowing what Ben would say about the whole thing: _stop being so pathetic, Charlotte._

Then a pair of whiskey coloured eyes met mine. If I hadn't known better, I would guess that he looked hopeful, and maybe just a tad hurt. Was he hoping that I would continue to give him space? Or hoping that I'd speak to the two of them? I wouldn't break my silence yet. I couldn't. Just like I couldn't hear what the coach was yelling about as all the players formed a line in front of the goal.

It was painful to watch Scott get knocked on his back and I almost ran down there. Allison who had turned up with Lydia looked equally as unhappy and I reached over and squeezed her hand. She sent me a thankful smile and I turned my attention back to the pitch.

It wasn't until Scott tried again and knocked into Jackson full force that I left my seat. Standing on the bleachers I could see everyone stop and run to Jackson except Scott and Stiles. They were off to the side and Scott appeared to be in pain. My eyes followed them as they dashed across the field and towards the boy's Locker room. I was tempted to follow, but didn't. Instead I allowed myself to be dragged onto the field towards Jackson.

An ambulance was called and he was carted away to hospital. I didn't find out until later that night that Jackson had separated his shoulder and would need to rest it before Saturday's game…if he was even ready at all for the game. It struck me as peculiar. Scott wasn't an especially violent person, in fact he was harmless. His photograph would be next to the definition of harmless in the bloody dictionary for God sake…so why did he hurt Jackson? It was a rough game…It must have been an accident. I doubt Scott would have done it on purpose, right?

Those thoughts stayed with me through the evening, they bugged me from the moment I got the text message from Allison to the moment I fell asleep. I didn't know if there was something going on with Scott. If there was I don't even know if I wanted to know…Scott's business was his own and I couldn't go prying when I was avoiding him and Stiles.

As much as it hurt me to do that very thing. I received an enormous amount of texts from both boys, trying to pry me away from my solitude. I ended up turning my phone off instead. I couldn't handle seeing all the messages, it made my chest ache. I'd never wanted anything in that moment more than to go to Stiles house and curl up next to him and to phone Scott and just...just spend time with them in the purest sense of the word.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you thought of this chapter either here or on my tumblr imaginesofeveryfandom :) Thank you, lovelies!


	6. Chapter 6

"Are you going to answer that?" Dori droned from her position hanging upside down off the edge of my bed; a text book in hand, a highlighter clutched between her teeth. She looked like some sort of monkey or performing acrobat, she didn't even seem slightly bothered by the blood that was surely rushing to her head. Unless of course she's bloodless in which case my Step-Sister has become a vampire overnight.

My phone had been buzzing continuously for the past 10 minutes during our study session that Friday evening. I had ignored it knowing it was one of two people-both of whom I was trying to avoid and not talk to for a few more days…only a few more…Dori had been trying to convince me to talk to them. She was aware I was unhappy around her group and equally unhappy alone; she even phoned up Ben telling him he was an idiot after she found out why exactly I was ignoring my friends. As much as I wanted to phone them I couldn't. I just…I needed to give them this space and if I was wrong then I was wrong.

I, however, couldn't deny that Sherlock and Watson very rarely tried to get a hold of me for 10 minutes straight. It's perhaps what prompted me to reach my hand forward across the cluttered surface of my desk and clutch at the vibrating mobile. I could feel Dori's eyes on my back as I held the phone…deciding whether to look or not. I had no doubt she'd strap me down in the desk chair and make me read the messages if I didn't do it willingly. The screen was alight with the name "Stiles". I had been intending to change it to something more humorous and personal, but hadn't gotten around to it. Swiping the screen I found a multitude of text messages, all disjointed. Each one making me feel a little worse than the last.

**Lottie, please reply I really need to talk to someone. I'm such an idiot**

**I just confessed my feelings to Lydia and she completely blanked me…**

**She was on her Bluetooth and I was all like 'we have a connection'…**

**Apparently it wasn't worth repeating.**

**Lottie, please…I'm so humiliated right now. I can't.**

**Look I just need to talk to someone, I know you're ignoring me and Scott right now but it would be awesome if you could just postpone that for a second? Please.**

**No?**

**Okay.**

**Wow, Charlotte. Brilliant chatting to you, super helpful. Really, thanks a lot. I really appreciate it.**

**Crap, I didn't mean that**

**I could just use someone to talk to right now.**

I felt like a shit friend. An absolute piece of crap. I was so goddamn tempted to just pick up the phone and call him. To tell him it was okay, that he didn't need to worry…she'd likely forget about it and he could go back to his admiring from afar. But no. I was far too stubborn for that. I completely ignored that I was being a crappy friend, completely ignored that I was so desperate to talk to either of them. Surely it wouldn't be so bad if I just picked up the phone? This could be considered an emergency right? _No. I can't. Idiot, you need to restrain yourself. You're being clingy again._

God, I just…I just wanted to send him a message. Anything to let him know I was aware, that I did care. To let them both know it wasn't them. It was me. I was the one causing this, I was the one who wasn't sure if I was annoying them or not. I was the one who was avoiding them. It was all my fault. Every last bit. I was avoiding them like the plague and all because I didn't want to push them away with my behaviour… _guess who is a walking contradiction? Bingo, you! Moron…_

I struggled to revise after that. To spend any time on the useless and unimportant work that sat in front of me. Dori tried her best to encourage me, to lift my spirits, but I just felt hollow. I was coming to the realisation of just how shitty I was treating them…and yet I couldn't seem to bring myself to break the fast I was taking part it. It was like Luke trying to shoot down the Death Star, no matter how many people died, how many near misses he didn't stop…except I wasn't stopping anyone evil by doing this. I wasn't doing anything useful at all. The only good thing I had done all week is drop dinner off at the Stilinski house when Stiles' jeep wasn't there. I refused to break my promise to cook for the Sheriff. I refused to drag him into this, he didn't need the extra drama.

So I went to sleep that Friday evening fully aware that somewhere Stiles was feeling like complete and utter crap, that somewhere he was wondering if he'd pissed me off or if it was his fault that I was ignoring Scott and him. Suffice to say I didn't get much sleep. I couldn't find a comfortable position. I couldn't stop moving. I couldn't stop thinking. What sort of person does that to their friend? Me apparently. Even Dori had been upset with me. Dori, who was so laid back and easy going. Dori, who wasn't even particularly close with the boys. It was at that moment that I knew I wouldn't be able to keep it up for much longer and I didn't want to. I was starting to realise that I'd much rather be clingy and annoying then hurt my friends and ignore their problems. This wasn't like me.

I had woken on the Saturday unprepared for the big Lacrosse game that would happen in the evening. My 3 hours of sleep had left me looking pale, exhausted, and like I'd run through a hedge at some point in a fit of lunacy. It had taken me until at least 11 to get out of bed and surprisingly I was in a mood that allowed me to attempt to tame my appearance. It wasn't easy between the wild nature of my hair and the lack of sleep, but I at least looked less like I'd fallen into a pig sty.

I had no plans until later that evening; Mum was at work surprisingly and Dori was with Norman doing some sort of Father-Daughter bonding, something involving old music and greasy food most likely. So it was just me in the house, me and the mobile phone that taunted me with its silence. The desire to pick it up and phone one of the boys was strong and I was about to when a sharp knock sounded from the front door. I slid the phone into the pocket of my jeans and quickly rushed down the stair case to get the door in time.

When I opened it I hadn't expected to see the Sheriff. In fact the last person I expected was Sheriff John Stilinski, I was expecting a postman or even Dori and Norman who'd forgotten their keys. Heck I would even expect Scott sooner than Mr. Stilinski.

He was still in his Sheriff's uniform and looked decidedly awkward stood there on the bottom of my door step. It's obvious this wasn't a professional matter, he wasn't here to arrest me or anything…not that I thought he was. I don't believe I've done anything illegal in my life, except downloading music and watching Supernatural online. Which, with the way the Sheriff ignores Stiles and Scott's body hunting, isn't that high on his list of priorities. Especially with a dead girl's killer around.

"Hey Sheriff…what're you doing here?" I tried to keep my tone light. Usually I was just quickly dropping off food over there. Conversations were usually _'You can wait around, I'm sure Stiles'll be here soon?' and 'uh…no thanks, Sheriff…I've…I've got to get home now'_

"John, please," he corrected before pausing, watching me with a concerned frown. "Look I…I don't know if something happened between you and the boys…but…is everything alright, kiddo?" The sheriff hesitantly patted my shoulder like you might a skittish horse, the gesture simultaneously comforting and awkward, and I realised I couldn't fool him. Sure he was the Sheriff, but he was someone's dad as well. He knew the ins and outs of teenagers, including how I and the boys interacted.

"You still on duty?" I asked attempting to avoid the question. To move it back to comfortable waters where I wouldn't have to be cautious of what I said and what I did. It wasn't that 'John' would judge me, I'm sure he'd understand….but I was still odd about how I'd just ignored his son yesterday. I felt like I didn't really deserve the Sheriff's concern.

"No, just came from an arrest…Scott and Stiles were there actually. They seemed pretty upset about you not talking to them…particularly Stiles. Now that Scott's busier and all…he misses your company…" …" I noted that Stiles had inherited a lot of his characteristics from his father, evident in the way the both rambled in uncomfortable situations. It was kind of comforting actually, to be around someone so like Stiles. I can't imagine what it would be like if Scott's mum was here too...perhaps a bit like De Ja Vu.

"I…look, I just…" I stumbled with my words and the Sheriff gave me this look. It was the encouraging one I'd seen Stiles give Scott on countless occasions, furrowed brows, a smile here and there. It worked wonders on calming you and helping you get your words out. I realised perhaps that's why Mr. Stilinski was the Sheriff, I could even imagine Stiles becoming a Police Officer one day. However, he'd probably be too lenient with the rules in certain cases.

"I figured I was annoying them or something…I didn't want to be too clingy…" Fumbling about with my fingers, I avoided looking into the Sheriff's blue eyes. I felt like I was disappointing some sort of authority figure….I felt like I was disappointing a parent, like I was waiting to hear his verdict on my choices. But that was stupid. It really had little consequence whether Mr. Stilinski was happy or not with my behaviour.

"So you decided to ignore them for a week?" Scepticism was riding in his voice, like he didn't expect that from me. I suppose he didn't even think I'd come to a conclusion like that anyway. I seemed perfectly amicable and eager to make an appearance until that Friday. We had had a lovely dinner and chatted, it had been something I missed. My own family rarely sat together around a dinner table anymore. We always were doing our separate things…we weren't much of a family at all if I thought about it. It was more dysfunctional and isolated than the Crew of Serenity and they were space cowboys for God's sake.

"Yeah…well…I…" I didn't know what I was trying to say. There wasn't really anything to say, was there? I'd done enough with my stupid plan. I'd ignored two people whom I'd gotten along with well, spent time with people who either disliked me or wanted to murder me violently (Jackass Whittemore), and even gone as far as to ignore Stiles when he needed a friend to listen to him. There wasn't anything else to say…and I was admittedly ashamed of my behaviour the more I thought about it.

"Look Stiles is out and he won't be back for a few hours, do you want to come over to the house…talk about it? Watch some TV, kiddo?" There was something comforting in the offer, perhaps if I didn't understand the Sheriff…didn't trust him, didn't know him, then I'd find it creepy. But it was Mr. Stilinski and he was obviously trying to help me with situation before the game which I'm sure I'd see him at despite Stiles always being sat on the bench.

"Yeah, I'd like that, Sheriff" The hand fell from my shoulder and I almost felt relieved that someone, an adult, was going to talk to me about this. Teenagers? We obviously don't know what we're doing half the time. I'm pretty sure I never know what I'm doing and then I listen to equally oblivious people and well…I get into this big old mess, don't I?

"John." It almost made me laugh, that someone like Stiles, who said he'd never tell me his real name because it was so horrendous, could have a father with such a simple and generic name. Obviously the name was something to do with his mother unless the Sheriff had a thing for names that would cause your son to go by a nick name for the rest of his life…

"Right, Sorry…let me just get some shoes on, I'll be out in a second" I sent him a quick smile before scurrying back into the house looking for my converse, where had I put them? Right, underneath my bed. Luckily it didn't take me too long and before I knew it I was sat in the passenger seat of a cop car.

I'd never been in a police car before, I never really had much interaction with the bobbys back home…well actually I had no interaction with the police. I didn't really ever get involved in anything illegal or dangerous or untoward. I just kept to myself.

The ride was comfortable, but I could feel the paternal glances John shot me. He was worried, I got that. He wanted to help, I understood that as well…I'm just not sure if I could let go of this stubbornness that had built up inside me. I just hoped everything would go back to the way it was. I just wanted Stiles and Scott to be sitting with me at lunch and making stupid jokes, I wanted to be able to spend time with them, and I wanted to be able to get them to help me open my bloody locker for the nine millionth time that school year…but did that want outweigh what I believed I was doing for everyone else's benefit? I'm just not sure.

Like I said before, the Stilinski house was somewhere warm and lived in. It was always like how I pictured the Burrow to feel. A place that was filled with familial care even though the two men lacked a feminine touch or the presence as they were often out doing their own thing. But it was very obviously a house that had served its purpose for many years and would continue to do so. I was very aware of how I frantically searched for the baby-blue jeep just in case Mr. Stilinski was wrong and Stiles was in fact there. I wasn't quite ready to face him after last night's session of ignoring him and his need for companionship…I was still very aware of how much I was a shit friend and how I was currently hanging out with his dad instead…

We had sat awkwardly on the worn sofa, I was offered a drink, and more awkward silence prevailed. I figured he felt uncomfortable trying to make me talk to him about the issues I'd been having with the boys and was waiting to see if I'd talk about it without prompting from anyone else…

"So, you were at an arrest?" It was an attempt to break the silence that had me fidgeting in my seat more than anything else I'd experienced so far. There was something stern and expectant of that silence. Probably because I was being expected to do something…I was being expected to explain why I was avoiding his son. Why I had been such a crappy friend over the past week…

"Charlotte." The Sheriff had never used that tone with me. It was the disapproving, stop-being-avoidant tone. The one I'm sure he used on Scott and Stiles on a regularly occurrence over the past sixteen years of their life.

"Just sate my curiosity and…and I'll tell you all about my issues, okay?" I stopped fidgeting about after seeing the resigned look in his eyes, I'm sure he had that look more often than he would like with Stiles running amok about the town like some sort of Gremlin.

He sighed heavily "The other half of the body was found at the Hale house…we arrested Derek Hale on the suspicion of murder…incidentally those two miscreants you call friends? They found the body, kiddo…" He didn't look as upset as a normal father would, probably because he was acclimatised to it by now. I liked the way Mr. Stilinski called me Kiddo…there was a fondness there, adults didn't usually call me things other than my real name. It was something I'd never had, something I missed out on growing up…I revelled in it more than I had expected to. It felt like being underneath warm sunlight. Uplifting.

"Derek Hal-" I began to ask until I received a look urging me away from the topic of Allison's creepy ride home from the Party last Friday…who had said he was Scott's friend of all things.

"Right…um…where to start…I, we, all were at this party at Lydia's on Friday…not that I really go to those things, but Dori needed a lift and I didn't want to leave her. And well…um, Scott and Stiles kind of ignored me when they were leaving, and then ignored my texts for the rest of the evening" John seemed confused as to why this had any connection to me ignoring the boys. He sat forward in his spot with his elbows resting against his knees, hands clasped together, lips pursed. I knew he was taking my every word seriously. It wasn't something I was accustomed to when I retold stories like this.

"…and well, I talked to an old friend in England…and he said maybe I was being clingy…so I decided to give them a week away from me cause I figured they were getting annoyed and…and it's like…I don't want to, okay? I can feel a literal ache in my chest at not talking to them. But I don't want them to be annoyed at me either so…" I stared down at my folded hands, I'd practically picked the cuticles apart from stress over the last week. Lydia had been absolutely horrified when she'd seen them…it was a bad habit, I had told her.

"Clingy? Clingy? Really?" His incredulous voice caused me to lift my head. He had a familiar furrowed expression on his face, one that said 'what the hell?' louder than any words. He genuinely looked confused by the use of that word. Only that word, everything else seemed to make perfect sense to him.

"…Uh? Yeah?" I replied hesitantly, confused by his outrage myself…was it so hard to believe I was like a limpet on a rock when it came to people and physical closeness…I was so aware of my issue that I'd been avoiding contact with everyone. I actually felt like I was going mad with withdrawal symptoms or something…

"Look, Kiddo. You aren't being that clingy and even if you are as far as I'm aware the boys don't care. They miss you, they've been moping about like a pair of sad five year olds…I don't think you have to worry about them not wanting to spend time with them…Clingy doesn't have to mean annoying, darlin'…" He was trying. This was the Sheriff who had no reason to sit me down and help me out other than the fact I knew his son and his son's best friend. He could completely leave me to my own devices. He could have let me stew in my malcontent like a body at the bottom of the Dead Marshes, but he didn't.

"But…but what if they do find me annoying? I don't want them to! Stiles and Scott make me really happy…I've missed them a lot…" And they did. They made me exceedingly happy. They had a way of helping me get used to this country, this world of theirs without much effort. They made me cry with laughter, they made me relax, and they selflessly helped me whenever they had the opportunity, and yet I had abandoned them. I'd selfishly left them to their own lives in fear that they'd begin to resent me. I was a selfish coward.

"They don't. If they did I wouldn't have Stiles asking me to get a warrant to get into your house so he could talk to you, kid" I furrowed my eyebrows, my face crinkling further in my puzzlement. A warrant. No. Stiles wouldn't have asked for a warrant, that's ridiculous, right?

"A warrant? He really asked you to do that?"

"Yeah, Kiddo…those two care about you…and I do too…you're always welcome here…" A hand clapped me on the shoulder reassuringly and I felt lighter, more relieved even. Now that everything was off my chest and a wise old Yoda like figure had given me life advice. Because I definitely needed it. I didn't know how to life…I didn't know how to adult…I was pretty much screwed for the rest of my future. I was heavily dependent…I might just live in someone's attic or cellar.

We sat there quietly for a short while. It wasn't awkward like the first silence, it was far more relaxed. We both knew what we needed to know and both had sorted out any underlying problems.

"So…what's your understanding of Football?" I'm pretty sure my face was a mixture of confusion and worry…he wasn't going to make me actually do any sport was he? I wasn't sporty…in fact I was so unsporty that Coach Finstock lets me sit out of most of the gym lessons because he can't be bothered to argue with me, bless his little cotton socks.

"American Football?" I needed to clarify; were we talking about running with a ball or kicking one because one I knew something about one on the most basic level of human understanding, the other? Was a complete mystery to myself, I hadn't the foggiest idea about it.

"Yeah." The expression said 'what other type of football is there?' until he seemed to come to the realisation that yes. I wasn't in fact an American. I had little to no grasp on half the things they said and I was completely genuine in my question.

"Nothing…"

"Time to get started then." So we did. We sat there watching American football which seemed an awful lot like rugby to me. Except more padding and if people got hurt they didn't keep playing. I didn't understand it and I think Mr. Stilinski knew that. I think he just wanted to keep me from brooding too much before he took me home. It worked. I cheered when our side scored, and hissed at what I thought were the appropriate moments. It was pleasantly mind numbing in a way. It was also something I hadn't ever sat down and done with an adult before. Mum didn't like watching sports and with work she was too busy…me and Norman? Well we stayed out of each other's way. He knew I needed space and I knew he felt weird around me at times still. He still hadn't gotten used to his role as Step-Dad I guess…

"Dad, I'm-!" A cheerful call rang out through the house and I turned just in time to see Stiles stand stock still, bag dropping heavily to the floor and voice trailing off quietly "…home…" I can honestly say that I felt an odd sort of blind panic fill me. It didn't matter that I had talked this out with the Sheriff…I'd ignored this boy. Of course he'd be angry with me after the Lydia incident yesterday. I shouldn't have come here. Oh I shouldn't have come here.

I didn't even think when I rushed off the sofa and past Stiles who tried to grab at my arm in a blind attempt to detain me. "No! You get back here, Lottie!" I kept going, kept scurrying like a frightened mouse out of the door and down the path past the baby blue jeep. I felt like a bloody criminal and I felt like crying for no real reason. I was being that stupid cliché girl in the movies. The one who gets eaten by the monster because she's so bloody emotional and stupid. I was that girl. I was cliché monster chow girl.

"LOTTIE!" His voice carried. It carried down the street I was mindlessly hastening along. It was loud and sounded like a bellowing horn in my ear. I hadn't heard his voice since his voice message days ago. I hadn't seen him that close for days. I hadn't heard him say Lottie in a long while. It hurt. Stop it. Stop it. Stop it!

Before long I found myself slowing to an exhausted walk, my shoulders slumped and my head a mess. The place I found myself at however wasn't my home. It was a park. Green had begun to show signs of golden autumn that was approaching. There was a lone swing set, rusted and obviously out of use and falling into disrepair.

I trudged my way through the trees and pathways, past benches and sat upon the swing. It creaked and groaned under my weight, but I paid it no mind. It wasn't my issue right now. It wasn't a problem for me at all. My problem was much more important than the stability of a swing. It was the stability of my own self…because I felt like I was slowly crumbling under some sort of invisible pressure. I felt like I was a disaster waiting to happen.

I was grateful for the silence of the park, only the whistling of the wind and the tumbling of leaves. A few cars here and there from the road, but for the most part silent and peaceful, but I needed to talk to someone.

**Ben. I just ran out of Stiles house. I don't know what to do, please text me back. I need to talk to someone.**

It wasn't often I did that. But I honestly didn't know what was happening with my life. I wasn't sure why I'd done that. Why I'd ran, why I'd ignored the boys, why I'd done this and that…I felt like I was going mad.

10 minutes had passed. 10 minutes of pure silent, just me and trees and leaves. 10 minutes and not a soul insight. 10 minutes and no reply. Perhaps that's why I dialled Dori's number instead, placing the phone to my ear hearing the familiar dial tone as I waited for her to pick up and when she did it wasn't what I expected at all.

"I can't talk right now. Busy with Lydia. Bye" and she hung up. Simple as that. There was no floundering, no asking why I'd called. She just hung up to the sound of her and Lydia giggling away in their metaphorical castle.

I felt utterly and completely alone in that moment. More alone when my parents divorced. More alone than when I was the only one at school because everyone else had gone on a trip. More alone than sick days at home by myself. This was the feeling of being isolated by every sector of my life. Except I'd caused this loneliness. I'd caused this heartache, this hollow feeling so deeply ingrained in my chest that wouldn't leave like a persistent cold.

I was known as that happy person, the person who thrived off life and bounced back from everything. It was my trope. The overly happy girl without a care in the world. But that was a complete an utter porkie. I wasn't always happy. I wasn't right then. I wasn't happy when my parents divorced, I remember crying and crying and crying until I dehydrated myself and passed out. I remember being sad for a week when a crush didn't like me back. I remember being angry with Norman and my mum for getting together for at least 3 weeks. So no I wasn't always happy. If anything I was in a state of melancholy that I hid behind layers and layers of smiles and laughs, but was I ever truly happy?

Yes. When I was watching movies with Dori. When I was spending time with the Sheriff. When I was joking about with Scott…and when I was curled around Stiles who was warm and safe and reminded me of security. So yes, I was happy at times. But I'd fucked it up. Stiles and Scott? I kept running from them, I felt like Forrest Gump, just running and running and running. But would I ever stop? Would I ever reach a stage when I realised that maybe I could plant my feet firmly in the ground and halt?

Would I ever be able to talk to them again without feeling the need to run and hide like a jackrabbit? I'd done so many shitty things in the past week. I'd made more mistakes in one week alone than I had in an entire decade of my life. What had made this so complicated? I'd listened to a boy who had a brief idea of a situation. I'd ignored the two best friends I had made while at Beacon Hills High School. I'd ignored Stiles when he needed my help. I'd ran away from him like a criminal when he wanted to resolve it. I had made so many mistakes. I felt like my life was like that. One big great mistake.

Starting with my dad leaving because God and Mum know that that was my fault and ending with my running from a boy I called a friend out of fear. What was wrong with me? Was I broken…Was I some sort of malfunctioning model? Or was I being an idiot.

I was after all sitting on a swing set in an empty, silent park, with cloudy gloom in the sky and misery in my heart. It was like all those cliché angst scenes in movies, where they cried and sobbed and contemplated their mistakes…well that was what I was doing right now wasn't it?

I choked out a humourless laugh, overwhelmed by the ridiculous situation I had created. I'm not sure how I consistently manage to make the wrong decision. It's impressive really. Statistically, I should have done something right between all these wrongs, even if entirely by accident. I should have just stayed with Stiles and his dad. Talked it out. That way I could actually solve the situation, rather than sitting here moping about it. Hindsight was a bitch.

And yet a small part of my brain contradicted this logic. Maybe the Sheriff only told me those things to make me feel better. I mean, it's not like he would tell me if Stiles did find me annoying. Maybe he just pitied me, saw me as a charity case. Maybe that's why he invited me over, because he felt sorry for the awkward teenager with no friends.

Anger rose up inside me. I hated this. My hands clenched in frustration. When had I turned into this self-pitying, pathetic little creature? It was a mass of questions and ponderings, sad snippets of my brain that were fighting against each other trying to be right and nobody was helping me organised it! I wanted it to end. I didn't like this feeling. I just wanted some form of peace and not the silent peace the park provided.

I wanted my heart to stop hurting. I wanted my brain to stop doubting everything. I wanted to be able to talk to the boys again and I wanted to stop running like a thief in the night. I just wanted this to be over. And yet I had a game to attend that night.

I didn't want to. I wanted to stay in that park forever. I wanted to wallow and brood swinging on that rusty swing. I wanted to bite at my finger nails and worry over everything. I didn't want to watch Stiles and Scott in their Lacrosse gear. I didn't want to be near the cause of my pain because I might run or I might not and I'm not sure which one I prefer anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you thought of this chapter either here or on my tumblr imaginesofeveryfandom :) Thank you, lovelies!


	7. Chapter 7

The peace of the park had only been temporary. Soon the quiet was disrupted by a familiar rumbling noise, followed by the sight of a blue jeep careening into a space against the curb. For a second I considered running again when I saw him leap out of the vehicle and stalk towards me. He had such strong strides that I could practically feel the tension radiating from him from my seat meters away. But unlike before I stayed put. I was just so tired.

Tired of running, tired of aching, tired of hiding way. Exhaustion has permeated my skin and settled into my bones. My limbs felt heavy as lead, my muscles weak and useless. I just wanted things back to how they were, even if it meant embarrassing myself ten million times over like before. Because really was it worth it? Was it worth all this trouble on the whim that maybe the boys found me annoying? I'm not sure it was…and I'm not sure it wasn't. I was confused, tired, and ready to give in.

I, however, found myself unable to even look at him when he stopped in front of me. It was like some ghastly habit I had gotten into. I had been so distant, so standoffish that I couldn't go back to smiling, laughing, talking. It was like I had forgotten how.

"Look you don't have to talk to me...or...or look at me…" A heavy sigh escaped his lips, and I'm sure he had that furrowed brow, tight lipped look on his features. The one he got whenever something pissed him off or exasperated him. "But we are going to sort this out eventually."

A cautious hand came to rest upon my shoulders which tensed instinctively. They'd never done that around Stiles…I'd always been relaxed, the same with Scott. They were harmless in practically every way, yet I'd brought myself to the point at which I had to stop myself from shrugging off his touch.

"Okay…" My voice was weaker than I wanted it to be. More monotone than I'd ever heard it. It honestly didn't sound like me at all…there was no cheery lilt or inability to stop talking to take a breath. There was just hollowness and silence…and he noticed, oh boy did he notice. I'd never seen Stiles look so cautious around anyone.

"Okay," he repeated hesitantly. I could feel his eyes searching my face, waiting expectantly. A pregnant silence stretched between us, making me hyper aware of the sound of my own breathing and ticking over of my fingers. This was my cue - this was the bit where I was meant to explain myself. I opened my mouth, ready to vocalise my thoughts, tell him how I'd gotten myself into this ridiculous mess, but no words came out. It was like my tongue was made of lead, my brain drawing a complete blank. I was again overwhelmed by how cliché this was - all that was missing was some cheesy line like 'it's not you, it's me'. I shook my head at myself, letting out a noise halfway between a snort and a laugh, though the sound was hollow, holding no real amusement.

Stiles seemed to accept that I wasn't about to explain any time soon, that I couldn't, but instead of giving up and leaving like I had expected, he quietly collapsed onto the swing next to mine. Although the silence wasn't exactly comfortable, it wasn't as deafening as before. It wasn't suffocating me. He started swinging slightly, unable to keep still as usual. The metal of the swing squeaked and groaned lowly, but I didn't find it annoying; the steady rhythm was actually rather comforting, like the ticking of a clock when you had nowhere to be or the steady rhythm of a drum.

"I-uh, I used to come here a lot, when I was a...um, kid..." his voice was soft, hesitant like he was poking a bear or something equally as likely to jump at him. He paused for a moment, but it didn't seem like he expected a reply from me... it was more like he was collecting and organising his thoughts before continuing on.

"My mom used to bring me here, before she..." A forced cough left his throat before he carried on, "I, uh, actually met Scott for the first time in that very sand box, if you can believe it." I looked up at the sandbox in question. It was studded with weeds and litter, the sand a dark grey colour no longer a golden shade, looking very much like it had seen better days. It was hard to imagine such a sad looking sandbox could hold such significance.

He had that little half-smile on his face as he delves deeper into the memory; it's soft and humoured and I'd missed it. "I had been mouthing off to some kid, I, um, never did know when to shut up... and this guy was twice the size of me. I was a scrawny kid-"

"Were a scrawny kid? Past tense?" I blurted, surprising myself at the ease at which it left my mouth. I quickly diverted my attention to my feet hovering above the ground. _When had it become so easy again? Maybe it was just because it was Stiles…_

"Hey, shut up! I'm telling a heartfelt story here!"

"Sorry, sorry, my apologies. Please continue."

"Anyways... So I was a scrawny kid - _past tense_ \- and this guy didn't like what I was saying. Something about lolly pops and noses…So, uh, he grabs me and shoves my face into the sand. I can't breathe, and this guy's not letting up, and I'm freaking the hell out. Like full blown panic attack style, and suddenly, he lets go. I sit up, and I see that this other kid, not much bigger than me had tackled the guy. They're rolling around wrestling, and then naturally I, um…I join in. Now it's two against one, and the bigger guy realised he's outnumbered, and he concedes defeat. So this kid looks up at me, all casual, with a massive freaking grin on his face and goes 'Hi, I'm Scott'. "Stiles had leant forward on the swing, elbows resting on his knees, hands gesturing as he described what had happened. Somehow I wasn't surprised that he joined in…it was Stiles after all.

"And it's been you two against the world ever since? Thing One and Thing Two?" I was surprised by how much calmer I was feeling. All the attention off of me, and instead on Stiles…and I wondered if that was his plan all along. Did he know what he was doing?

"Nah... Straight after that, our moms come running over, and they're pissed. My mom drags me off straight away by the, uh, ear, grounds me for a week; I used to have a habit of getting into fights back then. Probably all that extra energy or something…anyway, I didn't see Scott again until that September. He was in my class at school…and so was the guy, Jackson Whittemor-"

"Jackson? Seriously?"

"Again with the interrupting! Anyway I hadn't gotten a chance to tell Scott my name, so he was just like 'hey, you're the kid who got his ass handed to him in the sandbox!' But after that... yeah, it was pretty much us against the world." He looked at me then, his eyes the familiar warm golden colour, a fond smile twisting his lips, and I couldn't help but return his smile with my own. It felt odd to…well, to smile at him again. But not bad.

"So... want a lift home?" I was glad he wasn't pressing me to talk. How I got so lucky I don't know…maybe I never would.

I drew in a deep breath, feeling the fresh air hit my lungs, and the cold on my tongue. I paused momentarily before replying, "Yeah... that'd be…that'd be great."

Sitting in that Jeep I didn't realise how much I missed it. How I missed the familiar worn leather under me, the smell of lacrosse gear, food, and mud…the way I had to practically jump to get in it. The way it made me feel tall. It was odd to miss something like a car, but then I suppose in a way it was just another extension of Stiles…another limb of sorts. It was his baby. His jeep. It was like Scott and his uneven jaw line. It wouldn't be quite right if he didn't have it…

"Why are you even bothering with me Stiles…?" It just didn't make sense. Everyone left. Most people would have given up, but not Scott and Stiles. It didn't seem to matter how far I pushed them away or how hard I tried to get rid of them. They never seemed to leave…they only seemed to come back like a boomerang. Every day at school they were everywhere. Around every corner, at every table, trying to catch me. I wonder if I'd have given up if the roles were reversed…

Silence surrounded us for minutes upon minutes, his brow furrowed as he pulled in front of my house. I felt like forever and a day had past when he turned to me finally, putting the jeep into park. "Because the best people are worth fighting for…whether you believe that or not…and because I- we miss you…" My breath caught in my throat. I was not one of the best people. I was selfish, loud, overly emotional, and quick to judge. I had spent the last goddamn week ignoring them; I didn't deserve to be thought of like that.

"Look, Stiles-" I froze at the hopeful look on his face. I swallowed thickly before blurting out words in a jumble, "I'm really sorry for being an idiot and ignoring you, I don't mean to hurt you in any way, I just... I'm going to explain everything. I promise…I just don't know how to-"

"Woah, Lottie, it's okay. You don't have to apologise to me. I just need to know..." His grip tightened around the steering wheel and his eyes locked onto mine, nervous looking. "Did I…did I do something that I should be apologising for?"

"God, no!" That was the last thing I wanted him to think! _Jesus Christ…_

"So...we're okay then?" A hand rubbed at the nape of his neck, his expression careful.

"Yeah... yeah, we're okay…" I mumbled, twisting my fingers in my lap. The relieved expression on his face broke my heart a little. God, I'm an idiot…

"Well, in that case, you don't need to explain yourself to me. We can talk when you're ready, and until then... well, you know where I'll be" he said with a small grin. I didn't deserve him as a friend. I really didn't.

"Okay" I breathed. I opened the Jeep's door, shooting Stiles a grateful smile. This was the part where I would usually give him a parting hug. I considered it for a second, my arms jerking forward slightly, before slipping out of the door. Despite his promise that we were okay, it felt too soon for a hug - there was still too much tension between us. Just before the door slammed shut, my ears picked up what sounded like a whispered "Later, Charlotte."

I heard the distinct sound of his engine running and the wheels spinning against that tarmac. Once he was gone I finally allowed myself to say it out loud, to admit it… "I missed you too" It was whispered so softly even I hardly heard myself. I leant against my front door. I didn't deserve Scott and Stiles. They deserved better than me…better than whatever I offered them. Whatever I could give them. I was a horrid excuse for a friend.

I dragged myself through that door, shoulders slumped and eyes heavy, stopping to look up when I heard a voice call out to me "Bad day? Me too…" It was Dori. She was sat on the bottom step of our staircase, a hand fiddling with her phone and the other patting the space besides her beckoning me forward.

I found myself sinking down next to her, my head tilted back staring past my glasses at the white ceiling as if it held the answer to all my problems. Which unfortunately it didn't. I was waiting for it to start hold mysteriously appearing writing or begin talking to me in a deep gravelly voice…instead I got Dori's discontented chatter next to me…

"What happened to you then? Lydia not kiss you yet?" I muttered bitterly; I could still feel the loneliness when she hung up on me without even asking what was wrong. 'Busy with Lydia. Bye'. I was supposed to be her sister. Maybe it was selfish of me to ask her to drop her plans, but I had needed her and she'd not even shown an ounce of concern for me or why I'd called.

"She was making posters for Jackson…" That's right. The game. Tonight. With the Lacrosse team including Stiles and Scott. I had completely forgotten about it.

"Ahuh" I mumbled noncommittally. A hand reaching up to push back my dark hair and scratch at my neck absentmindedly.

"What's got your knickers in a twist?" She asked scathingly, obviously picking up on my bitter attitude. Which I had every right to be in.

I pushed myself to my feet and spun around to face her "You know what Dori? You're unbelievable. I phoned you…I needed you and your help and you blew me off for Lydia. Goddamn Lydia of all people?!" It had always been that I would have Dori to help me. If all else failed I had Dori. But apparently Lydia was more important than me…Sure I supported her in her endeavours, but when Lydia gets chosen over me? When I need someone to talk to? To rely on? That's where I draw the line. It crossed my mind that I was being hypocritical. That I had ignored Stiles when he needed my support. That in essence I was yelling at her for something I myself had done.

"What? Well how was I meant to know that you needed my help?!" She shoved herself off the stair, until she was looking down at me slightly. Her face was a picture of a storm; furrowed brows, curling lip, and darkened eyes.

"I know this might be a confusing concept for you, but if you actually listen to someone other than Lydia Martin for 0.2 seconds, you might know when someone needs you!" My voice was climbing in volume. I could hear mum and Norman shuffling about and making their way towards us, most likely wondering what the bloody hell all the racket was about. I was just so angry. I'd hadn't felt that angry in so long and not at Dori.

"Oh, well excuse me for having a life outside of your fucking problems!" Dori screeched before storming off to her bedroom. Her door slammed hard enough to be heard from where I stood, chest heaving.

"Charlotte…" I shifted my gaze from where Dori disappeared up the stairs to my mother who stood in the doorway to the living room, a disapproving look on her features. The ice-cold look of a mother who was disappointed in you. I didn't need it that day. I still had to go to a game tonight and now I'd pissed off Dori. _God, I was having a good week wasn't I?_

"Mum. Don't start. Please"

"You shouldn't talk to your sister like that." Her tone was the coldest it had ever been. We'd been drifting more and more apart. With her work as a lawyer taking up all her time, and my school career. When we did see each other it was very briefly. When had we gone from thick as thieves to this? When had she stopped being my mum and become a distant figure? A memory? A ghost?

"Oh? And I suppose her talking to me like that is fine then? Of course it is." At her lack of protest I stalked off upstairs towards my own room. But stopped suddenly outside Dori's. A hand raised to knock, it fell lightly against the wood of the door as did my forehead…I couldn't have her angry at me too. I'd done enough this week without adding more to my trail of wreckage and debris.

"Dori…" I began to mumble through the door, knowing she could hear me as her shuffling stopped "I'm sorry…okay...I'm just, with everything going on with the boys I've been strung up…and you weren't there and it upset me…I'm sorry…I'm an idiot"

The door was pulled open so fast I had to catch myself from falling where my weight had been resting against it. Dori was stood there face set in a scowl. "Yeah. You are…but I'm sorry too. I should have been available when you needed me…"

"So…we're okay then?"

"Of course, Midget" I wound my arm around her middle, my face burying itself in her shoulder. I needed that comfort in that moment, I needed her hand rubbing steady circles against my back and the tight feeling of being close to someone. I needed to feel like I wasn't falling completely apart for once. To feel like everything wasn't tumbling down.

"You want to make a sign for Scott? Since it's his first game…you talked to Stiles today right? I heard his jeep" She pulled back and motioned me into her room, large pieces of card, felt tips, and glitter was on the floor beside her bed.

"Yeah…he's not pushing me to say anything…" I stared at the card, the glitter, the curvy lines she'd written Danny's name in. I wanted Scott to know I supported him, that everything was going to be okay. "I guess I could make a sign…that would be a good thing to do for him right?"

"I'm making one for Danny, come on" So we sat there with massive bits of card, horrendous felt-tip pens that reminded me of being five years old again and tonnes of glitter.

I usually had a pretty strict no glitter policy, but I wanted to make it up to Scott and if covering my "GO SCOTT #11" sign in glitter would show how much effort I put in then I'd make it so sparkly Edward Cullen would have a rival on the shining front. This was about showing Stiles and Scott that I wasn't going to run away. That I was ready to put that behind me, like I had been ready to apologise to Dori. This was about amending my mistakes.

It honestly was incredibly glittery and as I put a scarf around my neck and a coat on my back to combat the growing chill outside before heading off to the game I found glitter on everything I owned, on my shirt, my trousers, even my bra. I probably looked like I worked part time as a stripper... or maybe like I had just been attacked by some supernatural clowns, Sam Winchester style. But admittedly I felt better about going now I had a sign as some sort of glittery and eye assaulting peace offering. It was an awkward sort of family outing, all of us were going.

The ride in the car was quiet; Norman was nervous because of how obviously unhappy with me mum was and Dori was probably wondering why I wasn't even looking at my mother. After the body of the girl was found Mum and Norman had decided that staying out to a Lacrosse game on a Saturday meant they needed to be there. By mum and Norman, I mean mum. Norman probably would have been happy as long as we were.

The school car park was filled to the brim. Even during the school day I'd never seen it so busy. There were parents everywhere and I excused myself from my family when I saw the Sheriff standing beside a very beautiful dark haired, tanned woman. She looked awfully familiar.

"Hey, Kiddo…everything alright from earlier?" I pulled my coat tighter around me. I thought California was supposed to be warm? It was only September for God's sake…someone turn the bloody heating up. I could see my bleeding breath.

"Yeah…we've…we've sorted it" I almost forgot that I'd practically run out on the Mr. Stilinski. It seemed like a world away from that car park. And although in a sense it was sorted, I was still worried and uncomfortable. It would take a bit for everything to get back to 'normal' and I knew that. I'm sure Stiles knew that too. I made a promise to myself that I would tell him and Scott everything soon enough. They deserved to know the whole story.

"Yeah?" I shifted clutching the huge piece of card tightly. I swear it was larger than me…which to be fair wasn't hard, I was even shorter than Lydia…lord help me…I made being friends with boys interesting though. I felt like I was a kid again amongst a pair of giants or something.

"Yeah, I even made a sign!" I was kind of excited to hold up the glitter covered abomination to show the Sheriff. I felt like one of those kids who showed their parent a drawing they did that would be put on the fridge. I couldn't help feel proud at the small smile the Sheriff flashed me. It made me feel a bit better about everything.

"Is that for Scott?" I glanced over at the woman. She had warm brown eyes, and gentle features. Her voice was soft, but held a confident undertone. I wondered vaguely if she worked with the public; she had a quiet authority that comes with practice.

"Uh, yeah?" I lowered the poster from my face, to look at her properly. It was probably rude to talk with a poster in front of your face…I guess. I'm not sure, someone get me a book on etiquette.

"I'm his mom, Melissa McCall…are you Allison or Charlotte…?" It was the moment that I was slightly horrified that she might think I was Allison. I was definitely not the brown haired, long legged beauty who Scott fawned over. I didn't really want to be either…I was pretty happy being short, poor sighted, and 'unfawnable'.

"Charlotte, it's nice to meet you…" I saw Norman waving me over, his large grin still in place. Sometimes I wonder why that face isn't annoying…maybe because I'm not around it constantly. "I've got to go, but enjoy the game. And Sheriff?"

"Yeah?" He turned to me, as my attention shifted.

"Thanks for everything earlier" I meant it. I hoped my smiled was sincere enough to show how much I meant it. The Sheriff was good to me, he didn't have to be, but he was. He was so very much like Stiles in that way. Too alike.

"You're welcome, Kiddo!"

I waved my goodbyes and made my way back to the family. We had somehow managed to get spaces on the bleachers next to a familiar pair of girls. Knowing Lydia she probably went out of her way to save them, pushing away everyone else…she could be incredibly fierce when she wanted to be. Actually, she was always fierce.

"Charlotte!" I sat down and turned towards Allison and an older man with greying hair besides her. Unlike Mrs McCall, he was intimidating. Incredibly so. I found myself struggling to meet his icy gaze. I felt like he was looking into my soul.

_Blink twice if you can read my mind. He didn't blink. Damn._

"Hey Allison, uh…" I shifted about, letting her continue for me.

"This is my dad" I found it almost unbelievable that this intimidating man created Allison, but I suppose sometimes the apple falls far from the tree. Allison leaned conspiratorially towards me, stage whispering, _"He ran Scott over earlier…"_

"What!?" Was Scott alright? Why was Allison smiling? Last I checked they weren't in a fight of any kind? Did I miss something? God I hope Scott was alright…

"He's fine…he just rolled off my car, I didn't mean to…" I wasn't sure if Mr Argent was genuinely apologetic or apathetic to hitting a teenage boy with his car…maybe it was a protective dad thing? Like 'don't come near my daughter or I'll hit you with my car! Oh wait! I already did! Haha…my bad'.

"Of course not…" I fidgeted with the corners of the poster sat in my lap, my eyes drifting out onto the field. I could see Stiles on the bench, but couldn't find Scott. He was somewhere amongst the others I just couldn't really tell.

"Scott said you weren't talking to him…?" I glanced at Allison, who was innocently staring at me. It made it slightly easier to talk about…it had obviously bothered Scott for him to talk about it. That made me feel a tonne worse.

"That's why I've got this..." I lifted up the poster and showed her, her father winced at the sheer amount of glitter, but Allison just grinned at me. "Peace offering!" She was far too sweet for her own good, I swear!

"I'm sure he'll love it" I smiled my thanks and we all chatted lightly, even Lydia and Dori who had been quite quiet, before the game started.

It was actually horrifying to watch; nobody was passing Scott the ball. Most likely? Jackson did something. He even rammed into Scott at one point, pretty roughly as well. I caught Stiles' eye at one point and expressed my concern as best I could from meters away. He looked as worried as I was.

"Which one's Scott?" Mr. Argent asked, and I let Allison answer, too busy trying to keep my eye on the ball and figure out what was bloody happening. I was still pretty new to Lacrosse, but I was learning! I was getting there! My main concern was really how tense Scott seemed to be getting…although I'd be angry too if nobody was passing me the ruddy ball!

"Number 11"

"Otherwise known as the one who hasn't caught a single ball" Lydia added smugly. Sometimes I found her exceedingly irritating. She could be a delight one minute and a pain in the arse the next. But I guess I just needed to work on my Lydia tolerance, I had it perfected to our little study sessions…but if she became family I'd definitely have to learn to understand her better…

"Well, if your boyfriend would let him he would have by now…you think he realises it's a team sport?" I replied snarkily, before lifting myself to my feet and raising my poster. It was heavy after a while, but the wave from Scott was enough to keep me going and deal with the dull ache. Especially as Lydia had coerced Allison into helping her hold up her poster for Jackson, which I'm sure didn't go over well with Scott.

I don't know what changed the pace of the game, or what exactly made Scott jump and grab the ball with such ease after letting it pass so many times. Maybe he'd decided he needed to impress Allison, maybe my poster worked, or maybe he decided it was time to show up Jackass Whittemore once and for all? All I know is one minute I'm watching Scott be ignored the next he's leaping into the air and grabbing the ball, dodging his way down the field and scoring a goal! To say the crowd was excited would be an understatement. A proud grin was on my face, a warm feeling in my chest…maybe I had no right to feel proud of Scott, but I did.

The score was soon brought even again, with Scott scoring shot, after shot, after shot. The opposing side even willingly passed him the ball at one point, which I found amazingly amusing considering Scott was a great big puppy dog and not intimidating in the slightest. Apparently the opposing team didn't get that memo!

It was near the end when everyone was on the edges of their seats both literally and figuratively, my eyes stuck on Scott as he once again grabbed the ball. He had such surprising speed on the field, he wove between players, and dodged them very much looking like a blur of colour and shape. It's when he neared the goal that he stopped….it was almost like he froze and didn't know what to do. With the clock counting down and us needing this point to win everyone was yelling and screaming.

" _Come one, Scotty…come on_ " I found myself muttering under my breath. I took a deep breath, bouncing up and down on my feet. I'd never been so into a game of sport in my entire life, I reasoned that my friend was out on that field and it was a natural reaction to them stopping stock still.

The relief I felt when he finally threw the ball couldn't be replicated, neither could the amazement at the realisation that he'd managed to break the Goalie's stick net…I could hear and see Stiles and the Coach arguing with the referee that it counted, that it had landed in the net. In the end the point was allowed and my throat was sore from the yelling I'd done.

It wasn't until I saw Allison slip away that I moved from my place following after her quietly, but being waylaid by Stiles "Hey! We did good right?" the lanky boy jogged up beside me still wearing all his padding and Lacrosse gear, looking bulkier than normal and extremely excited about the events that happened.

"You guys did awesome, even you…" We walked slowly towards the school, following the same path as Allison who'd been sneaking away from her father for some time with Scott. Those two were sickeningly sweet…I wasn't sure if I loved it or hated it or if I was stuck in limbo…

"I was just bench warming…" He shook his head dismissing his worth again. Every time he did that I felt the urge to slap him. I still felt kind of awkward next to him, but I felt like I was getting better…getting more accustomed to how things were before our little 'incident'.

"You still did good…Stiles, I promise soon I'll explain everything that's happened…just…maybe give me the rest of the evening…?" one hand gripped Scott's poster tighter the other fiddled with whatever it could get a hold of. Stiles stopped me outside of the Boys Locker Room, a hand chucking me under the chin making me look up at him.

"I told you. Take as long as you need…Scott and me? We're not going anywhere anytime soon..." The soft grin on his mole splattered face was enough to bring a tender one of my own out. That's right, they weren't rushing me. It'd be all fine. I'd be fine, we'd be fine. It'd be back to normal soon enough…well all except that my mother was absolutely livid at me. I doubt I'd be getting out of that one anytime soon. I'm surprised she didn't ground me or something equally as trivial.

"Thanks…Batman" I stumbled over the nickname. I'd called him it once or twice in the past. But it felt wrong saying it, like he'd be angry at me or something. Stiles obviously noticed my hesitation as smiled at me reassuringly, the nice half smile, the scrunched up brown eyes. It had a calming effect on my nervously racing heart.

"You're welcome. After you, Lottie" He held the Locker Room door open for me and we entered. If possible it was colder in there than outside. I pulled my coat tighter against me and wondered how Stiles wasn't freezing in just his Lacrosse gear.

We didn't see Scott until we rounded the corner…where we found his face attached to Allison's, their lips moving in time with silly little grins in place and gentle hands.

"Oh…" Allison quickly pulled away from him at my sound of astonishment, and while clearly embarrassed nothing could keep that wide smile off her face as she passed us, practically skipping out the door. She exuded absolutely joy, and I couldn't stop my own silly smirk from forming. I kind of shipped it badly…next thing you know I'll be writing fanfiction about it and crying when they look at each other in the hallway.

"I kissed her" Scott turned to us, I leant against one of the many lockers watching that goofy, lovelorn grin on his face. He was practically delirious.

"Yeah we saw…" The amusement in Stiles' voice was clear. He was proud of Scott…I was proud of Scott, and exceedingly giddy for Allison…I'd heard her talk about him. It was sickeningly sweet sometimes.

"She kissed me" He was in a daze, moving forward, jaw practically on the floor. It was like he wasn't aware of anything that was going on around him. I wonder if everyone was like that after their first kiss? Did people do that? Were first kisses that amazing? If they were I was obviously missing out on something.

"Yeah, we saw that too…good, huh?" The dazed expression didn't leave; maybe Allison drugged him? You know like Poison Ivy with her weird venomous lips? What if Allison had drug lips? No. That was stupid…

"Wow, you're in so deep…" I chuckled. He was like a little kid who'd been given his first proper birthday cake…or those pictures you see of Grooms when their Brides walk down the aisle.

"Uh…hey…Charlotte" And the awkwardness was back. As awkward as bringing a knife to a gun fight, or accidentally straddling your friend (It was one time, okay?!). I coughed loudly, pining a smile back onto my face. I'd gotten through the weirdness with Stiles I could do it with Monsieur Puppy Dog. Hopefully.

"Hi, Scott" I gave a little wave, before pushing my glasses back up my nose. Stiles had gone silent watching the exchange, letting us figure it out. I was grateful for that. This was something I needed to do.

"We…are…does this mean we're good?" The daze expression had dropped, and had been replaced with concern and a clenched wonky jaw.

"Yeah. We're good, hence the sign" I gestured to the ghastly cacophony of glitter and felt-tip that he picked up, seemingly wanting to keep it. I'm not complaining I don't need the glitter in my room. I was messy as it was without glitter getting everywhere, in every crack and crevice…ugh…

"Thanks for that…so maybe…we should, uh, all do something tomorrow?" It was Sunday, the weekend was still here and I didn't have any homework. The boys probably did, but probably didn't care all that much.

"To celebrate the gang getting back together?" Stiles ventured, looping an arm around my shoulder and Scott's drawing us close together in some sort of huddle. It was closest I'd physically been to them in a week and it filled me with warmth to be back cuddling up to them again. It felt like a weird sort of home. Familiar. Happy. Safe.

"Yeah! What do you say, Charlotte? Round mine at 12 and we'll all hang out?" Scott suggested excitedly. I didn't worry about the address, I'd just text him in the morning. If I could be bothered to get out bed, I'd been awfully lethargic lately. Mum was worried, 'it's a sign of depression' she would say. Every single time. In my house everything was a sign of depression or some other physical or mental illness that needed 'solving'. _Jesus… ___

__"Sure thing, Scotty…well I'll…i'll, uh, see you two later then…" I came to the realisation that my mum would be even more irate if I kept them all waiting for me in the cold._ _

__"See you tomorrow!" The call came from the two of them as I slumped my way out the Locker room, hands in my jean pockets, and eyes cast down. I hoped mum wasn't too angry. I needed to go tomorrow, I needed to clear the air. I needed to get everything out of the way and just get back to normal. A normal where I could study, joke, play, and have fun with the boys without second guessing myself. A normal where I could laugh at Dori trying to get with Lydia and fighting over her with Stiles._ _

__"In the car. Now. Young Lady" Oh boy, was she not happy._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you thought of this chapter either here or on my tumblr imaginesofeveryfandom :) Thank you, lovelies!


	8. Chapter 8

Getting home that evening had been rough. The car ride was silent as a morgue and my mother kept sending me icy looks through her car mirror. Norman was very obviously uncomfortable with the tension. He kept making really terrible jokes every five minutes or turning up the radio to the point that my mum turned the thing off. It was even worse when I realised that morning that Norman had slept on the Sofa.

Mum had been so angry that she'd kicked him out of their room; it wasn't his fault she was pissed off. He really shouldn't have been punished. But I guess I was being punished in my own way. Looking into my bathroom mirror I could see dark circles under my eyes and I looked about as shattered as I felt. Which was to say completely and utterly.

That morning was going slowly and sluggishly. Firstly my shower was too warm and too inviting for me to leave, then I spent half an hour in a towel because I couldn't bring myself to get dressed, and then I avoided going downstairs because of a certain adult. It was somewhat like a game of cat and mouse I suppose. Mum was angry at me, I was avoiding her in case she bit my head off…and Norman and Dori? They knew better than to get in the middle of our tiffs. Or I hoped they did.

Mum and I's relationship had become more and more strained over the past few months. We never went out and did things together anymore. She was always working. If I had a problem, she was one of the last people I'd go to because I'd probably get a "Sorry, I'm busy with work right now, speak to you later, Babe". It was becoming more and more apparent that we were drifting further and further apart. I didn't want to of course. I love my mum. She'd been the only parent I'd ever really had. She'd nursed me back to health when I was ill, comforted me when I was sad, encouraged me to do my best. But she wasn't the same mum as the one that raised me. She wasn't as kind or soft. She didn't laugh as much or smile at me as often. She didn't really seem proud of me ever, if I showed her my art she'd just shrug it off. If I got a good grade she'd give me a quick well done and go back to work. It made me want to do better, to get some form of reaction out of her. Sometimes that meant pissing her off.

Sitting at the dining room table that morning was becoming more and more uncomfortable. Somehow I'd succeeded in forcing myself to go downstairs. While my breakfast was lovely, and Dori seemed to be in a good mood, mum was silently staring down her own breakfast.

"Mum. Will you just talk to me?" I sighed, she merely turned her head to the side looking at a houseplant by the wall or any other bit of random clutter. The silence grew heavier and I felt utterly frustrated. Frustrated that I'd practically solved one issue and got another in return.

"Okay...well just so you know I'm going out. If you care that is." I shrugged, sarcasm heavily lacing my tone. I was fed up with all this anger. We were happy once upon a time. Believe it or not we all smiled, laughed, got along and nobody ignored the other. There was something about this move, this town. Everything was different now, and I hated it.

"Don't you try and guilt me, Charlotte Elizabeth Whittingham." She said, standing abruptly. Her brown eyes held a fire that used to be directed at anyone who tried to hurt me. Now her furious gaze was pointed at me instead. Her lips were pursed and despite her small stature she was intimidating. But what she called me put that intimidation to bed and replaced it with annoyance.

"Kite. It's Kite." I hadn't changed my surname when Mum remarried. I liked my surname. I missed my dad. I wasn't changing it because, to me, I wasn't a Whittingham.

"You live in this house, you live with me and your father. You're a Whittingham." I don't know why she was bringing this up now! When I was 8 and they got married I was asked if I wanted to change my name and when I said no she was fine with it. What was it that made her so adamant now?! I wasn't a kid anymore for Christ's sake, I knew what surname I wanted. I knew who I was for the most part, I didn't need her interfering. Why was she interfering?

"No. I'm a Kite." I pushed myself away from the table staring down my own mother. The tension was palpable.

"Sylvia, uh, maybe you should calm down, let the girl be…" Norman was trying to mediate it all. His hands were spread out in front of him in what I'm sure he thought was a placating matter. As per usual, his voice was soft and gentle. He never wanted to cross mum. Nobody wanted to cross mum. I was just too stubborn to not keep going once I've started.

I picked my phone up off the side along with my keys and made my way to the front door shaking my head bitterly. This is what we'd come to. Things were supposed to be looking up not falling down again.

"Don't you dare walk away from me." I stopped at the sound her of voice and glanced over my shoulder at her. I was an odd mix of amused and upset. How I could be both at the same time I didn't bloody know but somehow I was and it was frustrating to figure out. Maybe it was the way she looked. Not like my mum at all, like some sort of head teacher or sith lord. It was so not like her that I wanted to laugh and scream 'you're not my mother!' but she was. She'd just changed into something else while I wasn't looking.

"I'll see you later, _mum_ " And I kept going. I walked away and out of that house knowing just how angry she'd be. I'd be surprised if I wasn't grounded for a year. It was all turning into one of those cliché teenage dramas. The protagonist gets in a fight with their parent, they get grounded when they want to leave the house, blah, blah, blah, everyone lives happily ever after…or something like that.

A hand ran down my face and pulled at my glasses as the other unlocked my car door. I should probably get more petrol at some point…I was running pretty low. _I'll do it later after Scott's._ The Drive had me turning down roads I didn't recognise and staring at passing trees that looked familiar, but not at the same time.

Yes. I got lost. It wasn't that I was incapable of navigating, no matter what Dori says, I was just new to this part of town. Or at least that's what I told myself. In truth I was probably lost, but I wasn't going to phone either of the boys admitting that. So I drove myself around the general area, reading street signs, and belting out lyrics when the radio played a familiar song.

Pulling in front of the nice, surprisingly large, wood panelled house, I double checked the address and double checked again, before I looked around for a certain blue jeep. I was supposed to be at Scott's for 12…it was now 1:30 and I had a dozen messages on my phone worrying over me. However, one in particular caught my eye and had me rolling them.

**You need to sort things out with mum. She's livid. I'm not even joking-Dori**

I quickly sent her a message back telling her I wouldn't apologise for something I hadn't started or done wrong. Because I wouldn't. I knew I was being unbelievably stubborn, a trait I'd reportedly gotten from my Father. Getting out the car and I managed to slam the door hard enough for the whole rusty contraption to shake, my face scrunched up in a wince. I really needed a better car. Also I needed to stop slamming things like an eleven year old when I'm unhappy. It was a worse habit than my inability to take a breath when speaking.

The pathway up to Scott's house was starting to collect a few leaves here and there. They weren't quite golden yet, but they showed that September was slowly making its way towards October. October, which held my favourite ever holiday-besides my birthday and St. George's day-Halloween. When I was little about 5 Dad used to make these really creepy monsters and hang them outside our house and little me thought it was the best thing ever. Mum hated it, she wasn't really a holiday person. She didn't like all the decorating and hassle, while I was a complete nerd over it. I demanded we put up pumpkins, monsters, lights, and put on spooky music. One year I even bought a fog machine out of my own money (which was hardly substantial) just so I could make everything awesome. It was awesome as well, that year I got 99 Trick or Treat-ers…not that I kept a tally or anything...

The air was even getting colder, much like yesterday night at the game I found myself pulling my clothing tighter against me and eagerly speeding up the porch and towards the front door. I know I had lived in England, but I still wasn't a fan of the cold…or heat actually. I wasn't really a fan of anything but pleasantly warm, the warm that you feel underneath a shower or curled up in your bed covers with a friend. Yeah, I was a fussy person when it came to temperature and yet I liked the rain and the snow. Just not the cold that came along with it.

As I knocked that wooden door I wondered if any of these houses in town had an actual door bell. My house didn't, Stiles' didn't, Scott's didn't, and I can't even remember if Lydia's did or not. But the point is I'm pretty sure American's or at least the Beacon Hills variety don't know what a door bell is…or a pencil case come to think of it. I was like the only person who had a pencil case that I had seen in school. Weird.

"Thank God…Stiles! It's okay! She's alive!" Scott seemed to tower over me. It might have been the fact he was inside and I was outside or it might have been that truly I was as short as I was. I liked to imagine I was at least average height, until Dori googled the national average and cheerfully informed me that I was 2 inches too short…

"Where were you?! We thought you'd died-"Stiles came bounding forward behind Scott, arms waving like a lunatic.

"Or worse gotten expelled?" I cut him off, smirking at my own joke. Sometimes I was pretty damn funny.

He stared at me blankly, mouth set into a line and most certainly not amused. Apparently my potential death was not a laughing matter. I on the other hand felt completely uplifted now I was around the two of them, my mother's anger was at the back of my mind.

"...I hate you"

"No you don't" I teased, a sing-song quality to my voice as I swayed back and forth on the spot containing my laughter. It felt good to joke and smile again, even if it was while I was standing in the chilly late September air. I can't even imagine what winter is going to be like. Probably the fudging ice age all over again. I'll find a cave and hibernate or something…

"Just get in already" Scott rolled his eyes at the two of us, moving out of the doorway pushing Stiles with him as he went. Stiles protested loudly at the roughish treatment he received. God, I'd missed them.

"Sure thing, Scotty" I shuffled in out of the cold, my hazel eyes taking in the warm interior. The large hallway had a rug placed neatly on the wooden floor, photographs of the boys and Mrs McCall scattered the walls, and the whole place felt kind and inviting.

The door shut behind me and I spun around smiling up at the two of them, feeling more relaxed than I had in a while. I knew I would be less comfortable later, but for now while I wasn't talking about serious stuff I was going to enjoy the comfort I got from my friends. It was a different sort of comfort than I got from Danny, and Allison. They made me smile and I could always get a giggle out of Allison fawning over Scott, but they didn't make me feel as at home. It was like these two boys were old friends, I felt more comfortable with them than I ever did with Ben or my old friends back in England.

"You got lost didn't you?" I followed the two of them through to Scott's living room practically bouncing on my heels. I stopped suddenly at Stiles' question…although it was more of a statement, goddamn know-it-all.

"Uh…no?" I scoffed jerking my head back and rolling my eyes. Silence fell over the lot of us as the two of them simultaneously raised their eye brows at me like creepy twins in a horror movie. I was a pants liar. I really needed to work on that.

"Fine. I got lost." I grudgingly admitted, ignoring their smirks as I collapsed into an arm chair across from Scott's sofa.

"How long have you been living here again?" One of these days I was going to beat Stiles over the head…or poke him. The point is I'd do something to get my own back even if it means setting Dori on him, I might not hurt him but she would. Trust me, she has a really mean swing.

"Shut up, Stiles." The laughter in my voice was evident. Stiles was a tease and a twat, but he had a way of making me laugh no matter what the situation. He could probably make me laugh on my death bed if he tried. He was just that type of person, like how Lydia was the type of person everyone stopped to look at. It didn't matter if you liked her, wanted her, or despised her, she managed to capture your attention and Stiles managed to make you laugh.

"So, how's Allison?" I raised my eyebrows suggestively at Scott slouching back in the chair feeling somewhat like a Bond villain; all I needed was a cat. I wanted a cat actually or a dog….or a bear. Bears are my favourite, they're terrifying but so fluffy. I want to ride a bear into battle.

"Amazing…her dad hit me with a car" I blinked starting forward, Stiles looked equally as amazed by Scott. Getting hit by a car was amazing? Jesus. This boy was going to get himself killed with his Allison adoration, probably at the hands of Mr Argent. He seems like he would know how to hide a body. Maybe.

"I know. He was exceedingly creepy about it, he had this whole 'haha I hit him' air about him" I wasn't joking either, Allison's dad was her complete opposite. Maybe he racked up points every time he hit someone '10 points if you hit a teenager who wants to sleep with Allison'. Let's face it, Scott would totally tap that. I'm not even kidding, I've see where his eyes land when he's not gawping over her eyes.

"Come on it wasn't that bad!" I closed my eyes sighing at the boy. It wasn't that bad? He got hit by a bloody car! In fact it wasn't like it was even a random car it was Allison's dad's car. I think I'd be slightly put off by that…even just for a little bit. I'd also be in hospital with a broken rib and a medical bill the size of Crowley's contracts.

"Scott. Scotty, that is like being stuck in a pit with a Rancore! Okay? Except that Rancore is her dad!" With possibly nicer teeth and breath. Scott stared at me vacantly, eyes blinking slowly, and head tilting in confusion. Oh no. Oh no…this can't be happening don't tell me he's never…

"Oh my God...you've never bloody watched Star Wars have you?" I brought a hand up to cover my shocked mouth absolute horror on my face. Even Jackson had watched Star Wars and that was Jackson for God's sake!

"No he hasn't. You have?" Stiles looked ashamed as if he'd tried at every available opportunity to make the boy watch it and judging by how far back those two go it was likely that he'd been trying for years with no result. It was shameful really. I wasn't sure if he was surprised or just curious that I'd watch Star Wars…if I heard a 'but you're a girl' I was going to hit someone with a feminist rant about gender stereotypes.

"Of course I have, Stiles! It's like one of the best things ever!" It was a classic set of movies with a really freaky order and Ewan McGregor in the prequels. The fact that anyone hadn't see them was actually terrifying on so many levels. Scott…I thought we were friends…

At some point I had jumped from my armchair and sat upon the arm rest of the sofa closer to the two of them. My elbows resting atop my knees as Stiles and I conversed at Scott's expense. It serves him right for not having watched one of the Greatest Movie Series of all time!

"We totally need to watch it!" Stiles and I turned to each other at the same time matching maniacal grins and equal enthusiasm to team up and make Scott watch some of the best movies of all time.

"No guys! NO!" Scott all but jumped up, hands waving and a look of desperation on his face…I guess someone is a spoil sport then.

"Fine. You're so evil. Why are we friends again?" I enquired, eyebrows furrowed jokingly. As I rested my head in my hands watching him have a mini freak out about being forced into watching it. _Boy needs to calm down…we're not about to execute him…although we should for this sort of blasphemy._

"Because I helped open your locker and bought you food?" After a while an awkward silence descended upon the three of us. I distracted myself by playing with Stiles fingers, a habit I'd picked up since that dinner round his house. It helped keep my mind off other things…

A heavy sigh escaped my throat and my fingers stilled where they were dancing about with Stiles' own. I closed my eyes to collect myself for a second before trying to speak. "Look...I...I want to tell you guys about…about why I was ignoring you" I swallowed dryly, I felt constricted all of a sudden.

"Hey, if you're not read-" Stiles started fingers closing around mine, while Scott came closer putting a hand on my shoulder. They were too good to me. I owed them this. I would give them this. I knew the curiosity must have been eating Stiles and Scott both up inside, maybe Stiles more than Scott. Stiles was the figuring out type. Scott was more laid back about things. He was more likely to let me never say a word about it. But I needed to. I couldn't have this resting on my shoulders for the rest of my life…I think that would kill me.

"But that's the thing I want to. I need to tell you. I want to do it now...I just don't know how to start...where to start..." I could feel the frustration bubbling to the surface again. Sometimes you could never shut me up, I'd know exactly what to say and how to say it. But when it was important? When I needed so desperately to get those words out? They refused. They stood their ground in some sort of ridiculous mutiny.

"The beginning is always good, right?" Scott prompted sitting down on the floor beside the sofa, a reassuring smile taking place on his features. I could do this. These two? They wanted to understand and help. Not ridicule me. I could do this.

"I…so I saw you guys rushing out of the party that Friday and I called out to you and you didn't….you didn't notice so I got upset. I don't…I don't know why exactly but I did and-" I rambled without taking a breath, the nervous energy culminating in one long drawn out sentence said so quickly I was surprised the both of them kept up.

"Hey, Lottie…breathe, it's okay…you've got all day" Stiles cut me off, hands coming to rest on my shoulders, a small half-smile shown in an attempt to calm my breathing. I think he thought I was going to have a panic attack…and maybe I was…but the concern was appreciated.

"Right, thank you…"I took a deep, very much needed breath and continued at a much slower, more manageable pace. "So I got home…and I wanted to talk to someone about it. But Dori was drunk and passed out in bed…so I skyped my old Best Friend from England, Ben" I still couldn't help but talk in long sentences, the urge to get everything out as soon as possible was overwhelming, like a splinter working its way to the surface. My body rejecting the events just as much as that metaphorical splinter.

"I thought we had a connection, Lottie…I'm hurt!" Stiles exclaimed dramatically one hand leaving my own, which had returned to playing with his fingers, to grip his chest above his heart. Face scrunched up in a pseudo offended expression.

"Stiles!" Scott called out at the same time as I replied "We do! I'd never betray you! This was before us! Before our friendship!" I was thankful for the light hearted banter to take my mind off the heaviness of the conversation. It also put to bed any little niggling doubts about my friendship with Stiles. He did care, even if he was joking about there was an underlying tone that suggest that he genuinely was happy being my friend.

"…Charlotte?" Scott prodded me, a hand reaching towards my shoulder again giving it a light pat. I needed to get back to the story. 'Story' that was far too cheery a word…tale maybe? Incident? Event?

"Right…um well he said…he said…" The words refused to leave my throat, catching and getting stuck as they replayed in my head. Clingy. Annoying. _Clingy._ A couple of little words that kept circling my brain like it was tumble dryer. They rattled and banged begging for attention like a four year old child.

"What did he say, Lottie?" My fingers stilled against Stiles, his voice was earnest and had me taking a deep breath to prepare myself. I kept my eyes stuck on our fingers as I spoke. I didn't want to see their emotions…their expressions…their opinions.

"That…that I was being annoying…that I was being…being my 'usual' clingy-self" I could feel more than see the way the boys tensed and how fingers tightened their grip on my own. The air around us was becoming heavier as was the feeling in my chest. "…that I should leave you two alone for a week or so…"

A pregnant pause fell over us. I focused my attention once more on those long fingers now practically strangling my own in their vice grip.

"What the freaking hell?! What sort of friend is that?!" I jumped in fright at the loud outburst from Scott. He was practically growling, a tension filled his shoulders as he paced back and forth like some sort of caged animal. I expected anger sure…but not that much…this was a whole new level of angry.

"Yo! Buddy! Calm it. Take it out side" Stiles gave Scott and pointed look, practically glaring him out of the house. I could hear clearly the front door slam close and the heavy pacing of his feet on the porch outside. There was something about that anger that shook me up more than retelling my story and letting them into my insecurities (or a small part of them anyway).

"Sorry…recently he's had a few anger issues" One hand came up to the nape of his neck, rubbing it like he always did. I slid further forward from my place on the arm of the chair, my knees bumping into him lightly.

"Maybe…maybe you should get a spray bottle and like spray him?" My voice was weak, but it was an attempt to break myself from the fright that had taken over me. It was Scott. Yes he was angry, but it was Scott.

"What? Wha...what do you mean by that?" He had an uncharacteristically scared look in his honey coloured eyes and I began to question what he thought I meant…What was so horrifying about a spray bottle?

"Well Pavlov classically conditioned dogs to salivate right? He did the same to human kids, so we're just as condition-able as a dog...so get a spray bottle…?" I explained, trying to keep my voice steady. The slight tremors that shook my body were probably only noticeable to myself, but they were there. I had always hated yelling, so it wasn't a surprise that I got scared. I just wish I hadn't. I could hear my heart pounding away in my chest, and felt relieved that the boys couldn't hear it too. I already felt vulnerable, laying out my insecurities the way I was, the last thing I needed was for them to notice my fear.

"So you weren't hinting at...?"

"At what? That Scott's secretly a dog…? No. I was just...I was making a joke...it…it didn't really work did it...?" My voice trailed off and I awkwardly pushed my glasses further up the bridge of my nose. Bad jokes were apparently my last resort to remove tension…really bad jokes about long dead physiologists.

"Not, uh, really…no…" Stiles coughed out, a weak smile pulling at his lips in an attempt to placate me.

A hand came up to snatch my softly shaking one, whether it was nerves or fright or a mixture of both I wasn't sure anymore. "Look…Lottie, Scott's right." A weighty sigh left his lips, and his hand ran through his hair haphazardly as if trying to dislodge something.

"This Ben guy…he was a complete idiot and he put these thoughts into your head…don't ever think that you're not worth our time or that we don't want you around. You're awesome. I-We care about you…" I could no longer hear Scott pacing outside, but it didn't matter because everything seemed to break down into dust and I felt myself crumpling inwards.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry for ignoring you two… I thought it was for the best…I…I…"

"Hey…hey…come here" I was pulled forward into a tight hug. My hands grasped at the back of Stiles' shirt pulling it tight enough that I thought I heard a creak as I hide my face into the joint of his neck, breathing in the familiar smell. A hand landed on my back soothing circles being drawn by long fingers, while the other ran through the ends of my hair. Dori would do that sometimes when I was sad. She's sit me down and run a hand through my hair. It was comforting and he was just so warm. The comfort was needed, the grip on me was required because I was shaken and all I could think was sorry and all I could get out were harsh breaths.

"Shh…shhh…" It felt like Stiles knew what he was doing. Like this position was entirely too familiar. He was far too quick to know what slowed my breaths. How did he know to stroke at my hair, or rock me, or just let me clutch at him?

When I finally pulled away I was embarrassed by my display and rubbed my hands over my eyes catching droplets of water I hadn't even noticed. I felt both relieved and exhausted at the same time. "I'm sorry, I should…" I attempted to stand only to be interrupted and pushed gently back onto the sofa.

"Don't say you should go. You aren't Commander Shepard…this isn't about saving the galaxy…you're allowed to let it out every now and again, you don't have to hold it in all the time…" Given any other circumstance I would have laughed at the video game reference, had I not felt like running all over again. Why did I keep running? What was so wrong with me? I wasn't going to run all my life. I refused.

"I Know, I just…it's hard, Stiles" It was. It felt like I was giving too much away. I somewhat understood in that moment why Dori was so eager to not talk about her feelings. Because once you do someone knows your every weakness and every insecurity. They know how to manipulate you. How to unwind you and undo you. Unravel you like a roll of bandages. Part of me saw the appeal of being so close to someone that they knew me so intimately…the other part thought it was bloody scary.

"I know." The silence that fell wasn't like some of our previous ones. This one was comfortable and allowed me to hear the tell-tale thumping of Scott's footsteps making their way back to the living room where Stiles and I sat. I felt calmer. The weight of the past week was slowly falling off of my shoulders and while everything wasn't exactly back to normal or completely care-free, it was something…It was a goddamn start. That's all I needed-a start.

I turned to watch him appear in the doorway. He looked calmer. More like his usual puppy dog self. Although he looked slightly uncomfortable as he leant against the door way, a hand rubbing his shoulder nervously. I guess going off on one in front of your friend might not be the most comfortable situation…well I knew it wasn't. I'd certainly done it before. It was like accidentally punching the wrong person…a whole bunch of trouble.

"Uh, hey guys…" He coughed uncomfortably, a raspy choking sound that had my face scrunching up. "Look, Charlotte…I'm Sorry, uh, for getting angry earlier. I just…it isn't right, what he did." I could see the anger bubbling away underneath the surface, little drip drops of uncovered rage that wanted to get out and rant and scream. But that he controlled. I was grateful for those two things. Grateful that he felt so strongly about this, that he cared, and grateful that he kept it under control.

"I know…it's okay Scott" I smiled up at him and shuffled my way towards him, looping my short arms around his waist in a quick hug. He needed to know that we were okay, that it was all okay. That we were still friends and that I still wanted to be around him. Or maybe I needed to know that he knew that?

"Which is exactly why you're going to leave it to Scott and I to formulate a plan of attack!" Stiles cheered from the sofa. He was sat forward, chin resting on his fingertips, a somewhat maniacal grin set in place. He looked like he was some sort of villain plotting the world's demise. Scott shook his head humorously and slowly at his best friend. The Wonder Twins were back…not that they'd never been…but I hadn't been around had I?

"Plan…of attack…?" I ventured slowly, my brow furrowed, eyes looking between the two of them. Were they going to kill him? I mean Ben could be a bitch, but he was still my friend and…well I didn't quite agree with murder. It didn't sit morally well with me is all. Not that I'd object to him being taught a lesson. Something to jog a little humanity into his soul…I swear I was friends with a Demon.

"A prank." Scott clarified, pushing me forward further into the room. The boys had a habit of that, pushing me around and about like I was some sort of rag doll. They were never mean about it mind you…just they seemed to like directing me around a lot.

"What're you going to do? He's all the way in England?" He was all the way on the South Coast in a little town with a castle and a few shops and a pub or two. It was a pretty long flight away and I doubted they'd want to go all the way out there for a prank. And the Sheriff might just kill Stiles if he did, as I'm sure would Mrs. McCall.

"We'll figure something out...trust us" And yet I felt like I shouldn't. There was a mischief there that told me that Stiles was all for killing, maiming, and/or torturing the boy. It was like looking at Loki himself, except in the form of a mortal human boy with pale skin, fragile bones, and a whole lot of sarcasm.

"Fine…but today is about hanging out so…no more sadness and no more plotting! We're going to do something fun..." It was only early afternoon and I was determined to get past all the absolute rubbish that had happened and just have fun. I didn't care if that meant stuffing my face or watching a movie, just so long as I had my two buddies and a few laughs before I had to go back home to the awkward tension. God…I still had to deal with mum at some point.

"Agreed" They spoke in unison and we all collapsed on the sofa, spending the next hour just trying to decide on a movie. Stiles was still arguing for Star Wars, but Scott was adamant that he wasn't watching it. We eventually compromised on a crappy horror flick that none of us watched. It was what I needed. Poking fights and uncontrollable laughter mixed with a large amount of junk food and a reminder that these two were pretty darn good at making me feel happy again.

When I finally left Scott's it was dark outside, the waning moon was high in the sky and the air was completely chilled. There was something unnerving about the silence and loneliness that Beacon Hills portrayed at night and sometimes during the day. It was such an empty expanse of space with so many trees and an unbelievable amount of creepy howling wind noises. By the time I got in my car I was sufficiently ragged around the edges, but still somewhat comfortable from my hang out with the boys, and by the time I reached my house I was ready to collapse into bed.

Except when I opened the front door Dori stood there, an eager and over excited expression on her face, hair completely askew and an apparent will to drag me off for a little chat. "I need to talk to you!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you thought of this chapter either here or on my tumblr imaginesofeveryfandom :) Thank you, lovelies!


	9. Chapter 9

She practically lunged forward at me, a hand grabbing my wrist, and dragging me up the staircase so fast I was tripping left, right, and centre. The aggressively excited pulling ended with me collapsed breathing heavily on top of her bed wondering what was so important that she had to nearly kill me to talk to me about. Of course I was happy to see her so happy, I was happy after spending the day with two wonderful friends, and despite my unrest with mum everything was starting to look up again…I just would have preferred not to have my arm pulled out of my socket is all…

"Jesus, what's bloody gotten into you then?" Rubbing my arm as I sat up on the white covers of her bed. There was a slight ache from where she'd dragged me, but it wasn't that bad. She, however, looked like she was having some sort of fit where she stood shaking with delight. The wide grin upon her face was only slightly obscured by the way she bit into her lip. I could only compare it to a little child who was completely bursting with energy eager to just spew out whatever was on their mind. It was rare that I saw her like this, she was usually well collected and kept any super strong emotions under her belt. Of course Lydia had been regularly breaking this rule and I had an inkling that this was about the redhead…or as Stiles would tell you strawberry blonde.

"You'll never guess what happened!" She bounded forward, jumping next to me on the bed, sitting cross-legged as she peered down at me as if she had the most amazing news I'd ever hear in my entire life. Which was indeed a possibility, but the chance was pretty damn small…

"What? Did you see someone walk on water? Find an Ewok? Eat dinner with an amazingly talented adventurer/archaeology professor?" She rolled her eyes at my remark, but didn't say anything towards it. There wasn't a hint of a witty retort or even a sign of laughter… _I must be losing my touch, first Pavlov then this? What's the world coming too…?_

She sighed before talking. I'd never seen her have such difficulty getting her words out before. "Lydia had this really big fight with Jackson…and….and I…she almost kissed me… _almost…_ " There was such as desperation focused on that last word. Almost. It was like she could almost feel it. Taste it. The type of desperation that makes your head fill with frustration and your lips purse in anger.

"She n-nearly kissed you? Like an actual snog type thing? Like lips to lips?" I hadn't even thought…I mean I knew Dori liked Lydia. I knew Dori wanted Lydia something fierce, but I never thought that might be reciprocated. At least not yet. It was a big jump for someone like Lydia…Dori was well aware that she liked both Ladies and Gents, but Lydia? I mean she was still practically in love with Jackass. It just seemed so peculiar. I was dumbstruck. I probably looked pretty dumb as well staring at her like that with my mouth practically on the floor.

"Yeah, that's kind of what I mean by kiss, Char" She rolled her eyes at me, she looked unsure underneath it all…about something. Like she doubted what it all meant. To me a near kiss or any sort of kiss was a pretty bloody good sign that someone liked you or was at least attracted to you right? I mean I didn't have much…well any experience in the area, but it was common sense, right?

"Well…get in there, son!" I cheered in a faux deep voice, which made me cough. I really needed to stop doing silly voices that hurt. It wasn't fun…except that Gandalf one or Jar Jar Binks…they're both fun to do. But that's beside the point, the point is that I hurt my throat and Dori looked slightly disillusioned staring at her hands that rested in her lap. Wasn't she supposed to be excited like she was before? Why did she seem so sullen all of a sudden?

"My dreams nearly came true…"

"I _really_ didn't need to know that much about your dreams…" She sounded so sad, I figured a joke might help. It didn't…I was truly losing my touch with these jokes. I seemed to be making completely duff ones. I just wanted to make people laugh was it really that hard? Was this Karma? I hope this isn't Karma…bad things happen because of Karma…

"But…" She hesitated, stopping mid-sentence as if thinking better than to say what she was going to. She usually wasn't so careful with her words…it was like she was calculating my response. I knew she liked maths, but this was just ridiculous.

"But what?" I leant forward from my space atop the bed, elbows resting on my knees, peering at her curiously from over my glasses. It probably made me look judgmental…ah, the curse of glasses, along with being practically blind and heavily reliant on pieces of glass…you don't know blindness until a clock disappears because it's blurred into the wall.

"What if I'm like…the side hoe?" I had to stop myself from laughing, hiding my giggle with a hefty cough. That was a rather ridiculous thing not just on her part, but on anyone's part. Firstly whoever made up the term 'side hoe' needed to be shot and secondly Lydia was many things, but a cheater? A full blown cheater? I wasn't too sure about that. That seemed more like Jackass' area of expertise.

"You'd never be side hoe. You're main hoe material. If you get side hoed i'll beat someone up." I was somewhat serious. I wasn't really much of a fighter…in fact I was more of a run-hide-don't-die type of girl, but Dori meant a great deal to me and I wasn't going to see her treated badly or anything of the sort if I could help it. I was going to see her with Lydia, I was going to draw fanart and write fanfiction about them and make them their own personal blog. Dydia the blog. I was going to get this relationship to work even if it killed me…or Lydia did.

"Charlotte…you're about as violent as a bunny rabbit. You wouldn't, scratch that, couldn't beat someone up!" Her brow furrowed deeper and deeper, her delicate hands twisting into the mass of blonde waves atop her head in a frustrated fashion and I was worried she might even pull her hair out if she tugged any harder.

"I find your lack of faith disturbing..." I watched her scowl at me for the reference before continuing safer in the knowledge that I wasn't dealing with someone completely different. This was still Dori…just a tad more emotive than I was used to. "But, be that as it may…I would for you…Dori, you're my sister." I sighed heavily, scooting backwards further on top of the bed leaning against the headboard. I calmly stared at her for a few moments deciding upon my next words…I wasn't the most talented in this area and really I wasn't the best at comforting people either. But I had to try. And try I did.

"Look, just because Lydia had a big fight with Jackass before your 'thing' doesn't mean that you're not important to her….Dori, Lydia sees you as her best friend; she's never not around you…I don't know how two people can get along so well…it amazes me…" My voice was perhaps the softest it had been around her in a while. I usually didn't need to speak to Dori like she was some fragile child. But Lydia meant a lot to her. I wasn't sure what it exactly was in terms of feelings, but whatever it was meant a great deal to her and I'd stand by that and I'd support that. Not out of duty either, this was because Dori deserved to be happy. She's been through as much as me.

She had lost her mum right after she was born. She'd grown up just with her dad and then been forced to accept a new family, all before moving to a different country. It wasn't easy for her, it wasn't easy for me. Perhaps that's why we got along so well at first? Because life wasn't and hadn't ever been kind to the two of us, but we kept on smiling and kept going. Even if there was a tonne of crying on my part and hardly any on hers. We both had to find someone who could relate to us. Each other.

"You don't know how two people get along so well? Have you seen you and the boys?" There was sarcastic lilt to her voice. But that wasn't the same thing. That was the boys, and they didn't need me. They had each other, I was an addition…an admittedly hilarious add-on, but an add-on nonetheless.

"That's different…" I protested weakly, shaking my head and thinking back to the two of them. How much fun I had with them that evening, the way we had tickle fights and made stupid comments during the movie. The way they laughed at my screaming as I got scared, the way they let me use them as a shield to hide my face from the screen. They were too good to me. But it wasn't the same as Dori with Lydia of that I was certain.

"No it's not. You get along with them so well…" I glanced away from Dori's earnest face and looked around her room once more. There was a wall off to the side that was being painted a dark array of colours…why? She intended to paint a galaxy on it with white and glow-in-the-dark paint. It was currently a mess with pots everywhere and a sheet of white fabric laid on top of her carpet, but she would get there. Photos littered her walls, there were ones of us, mum, dad…and even a few of Lydia and Allison. It made me yearn for photos of the boys to put in my own room. But I still felt too awkward to ask about that just yet.

"But I'm not in love with them…" My eyes returned to her, she was staring at me with an odd look that I couldn't quite place. It was all sorts of serious.

"…yet" (wasn't sure how to foreshadow future stiles stuffs…) I could barely hear her make the comment under her breath, I chose to quietly ignore it and anything she was implying. The main issue right now was that Dori was literally wearing herself ragged with the thought that Lydia would never like her and she was trying to divert the attention away from her in whatever way she could.

It was something she did often. Sometimes, most of the time, she didn't like people knowing what was going on in her head and in her heart…maybe she felt vulnerable…or maybe that was just the way she was, but either way to have her allow the focus being on her feelings wasn't common and I felt the need to help her. She needed to have these moments that were purely about her issues sometimes because otherwise everything just keep building and building doesn't it?

"Look Dori…you aren't Lydia's bit on the side…she was happy to spend time with you….she was happy with your bouquet, she was happy with the fudge you left in her locker, even the really geeky letters…it's just a matter of getting past Jackson and with the way things are going to be honest I think you have a pretty decent chance….he seems like an asshole, in fact he is an asshole, he's the biggest Jackass I've ever met, and normally Lydia can deal with that..." I shuffled against the covers and popped my back uncomfortably. My night's sleep hadn't been the best and I'd apparently slept funny or maybe I did something round Scott's.

"But?"

"But she's drifting…I don't need to spend time with you lot to see that…so maybe you and Stiles can finally start up your point counting" It seemed forever ago when we ended up in that conversation with him at the start of the year. Had I known everything that was going to happen…well I'd probably have gone through with it anyway. It was certainly true, however, that Lydia and Jackson were drifting apart. They weren't constantly attached to the others face anymore for one thing.

"Oh we already have, your little boyfriend's got zero and I've got ten?…no twenty points!" She was apparently doing rather well on that front, I had no idea what their scoring system was, was it one point per action or…?

"Do you rub it in his face every time?" I asked, pushing my glasses further up my face once again. I'm telling you I need better fitting glasses, if I got into a fight or had to run for my like It'd probably be like Velma from Scooby Doo 'Jinkies, I lost my glasses!' and then I'd get nobbled by a monster or cannibal…

"Of course I do!" She grew a cheeky little smirk on her pale features and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. She was trying to hide her previous worry and letting me be led down a different subject other than her. Well I'll go along with it, but it won't bloody last forever.

"Dori…that's mean…you know how much he loves her…"I sighed, he did really care about Lydia a great deal. The number of texts I'd gotten about her was a fair few although they were decreasing in number lately…probably because of the whole 'incident' we had. But I knew he was practically in love with Lydia and I could 100% see why, she was attractive, smart, confident, and had an amazing arse. She was what you'd probably consider a Goddess playing a Mortal.

She was the Queen Bee, the ever lovely Lydia Martin and he'd been smitten with her for years. There was no denying that. And now? He was just competing with one more person, I think he revelled in the challenge. Stiles was a problem solver and despite appearances kind of competitive. I'd learnt that when he nearly killed me getting to the last cookie earlier in the evening...my neck still hurt from that…

"See I don't think he does…" She stretched out along the bed, lying on her side to watch me. She looked so tired and melancholic again. I was worried for her, but it was nice to just get to sit down and talk with her. We rarely got to do this anymore and I'd take what I could get even if it was a kind of serious and sad topic.

"I think he's obsessed with the idea of her, I mean he understands her…and he knows Lydia Martin isn't perfect, but…I mean from what he's said to me…" Her voice drifted off, a rising intonation in her voice as if she were confused…or not quite sure. She picking at the covers beneath her, and I pulled my knees up to my chest hugging them closer to me narrowing my eyes slightly at her.

"You've talked to Stiles about this?" I was concerned by a heavy feeling that welled up inside me at the idea of Dori talking to Stiles about this…about anything really. I wasn't sure why I felt like that. It wasn't exactly a crime for her to talk to him or for him to talk to anyone really…Sometimes I confused myself and I really didn't like it at all.

"Yeah…someone had to talk to him when you weren't." I felt that like a physical blow to the face, turning my head to look at the white duvet underneath me. I took a deep breath to keep myself calm, I was still so guilty about that…so sorry…so, so sad. I felt like I'd never be over it or be able to forget about it and maybe I shouldn't forget it. But I wanted to. I wanted the pain to go away, so I could just walk away and frolic through fields with my boys. Not sit there mopping in a darkened room at the idea that I'd treated them so badly, that I'd treated _Stiles_ so badly.

"…look he knows her in a sense…and…but I think he's been 'in love' with her so long that he's in love with the idea of what she is…and to be honest I don't think he'd be too heartbroken if I got there first.." She stumbled over her words and her eyes were large, probably after realising how harsh she had sounded before. Or maybe she was just worried about raising my hackles if I disliked something she was saying.

We'd been at odds so often lately that Dori seemed extra concerned with just making sure we didn't fight. I wasn't even sure why we had been at each other's throats lately, other than the whole 'Incident'. And that wasn't Dori's fault. That was mine. I was the one who'd been an idiot…Half the things that went wrong lately seemed to be my fault. But maybe Dori was right on this. Or maybe she wasn't…Stiles' love-life was none of my business, if he loved Lydia…well great…and if he didn't? Great as well I guess…

"You know what? I don't think he would either…because it's Stiles and he's used to being trampled over…he shouldn't be... _God it makes me so angry thinking about it_ ….but he is…" I had pushed myself from the bed and begun pacing back and forth like a caged tiger or a machine on a set looping task. All I knew was that Stiles was that person. The person who let people he cared for walk over him again and again and he rarely complained about it. He'd not complained when I'd done exactly that…he'd let it happen…he'd worried it was his fault and he'd let me take my time with coming forward about it. "Dori, I want you to go for whatever you're after with Lydia…but please try not to hurt my friends in the process…not that I think you wou-"

She cut me off and stopped my pacing as I looked over at her where she rested, now leaning back on her elbows, a small smile reassuring me. "I know what you mean; you're trying to be some sort of saint…a good sister and a good friend and I know it's not easy…we've had issues lately and I know you're just trying to be supportive…" I found myself falling beside her and leaning a head against her shoulder. She smelt like perfume and home, literal home. She smelt how our house had always smelt no matter if we were in England or America. It was so familiar and so comforting, but I wasn't the one who needed comforting…or at least I wasn't supposed to be.

"Especially with mum…I…I know it's going to be hard for you" I let out a deep breath thinking about that. She didn't know about Dori's interest in Lydia…she didn't know anything really. Neither did Norman come to think of it, but there was absolutely no way that he'd have any issues with any of it, at all. He was just too harmless for that.

"God…I haven't even told mum I'm interested in a girl…"I drew closer to her, as she got more and more anxious again. I could practically feel it radiating off of her and into me. When she was nervous so was I, when she was scared I guess I was too…although usually I was the one in her shoes right now and she was her usual confident, happy self. She was the unproblematic one, if you don't count the constant inability to talk about her problems that is. Which I guess was kind of a big thing actually…damn…I needed to start thinking before I ramble to myself.

"You didn't the last few times either…look you don't have to rush this, Dori…and if you did tell her? I don't think she'd be angry at you. I think she'd be fine with it…and if she is? I've got your back…" She pulled back to look at me, a softer look on her face than normal. Not that she was all serious and hard…but tender usual made way to teasing and little smirks the Dori way. But she was genuinely worried about all this and if I could help I'd do it in any way I possibly could. After all I was her sister in everything, but blood and even if we weren't biologically related that didn't matter because I felt more for her than I did most of my real family.

"You promise, Char?"

"I'll be your Chewbacca, Han…now about this whole Lydia thing…how did it go down exactly?" All I had really gotten was that Lydia had argued with Jackson and then bing-ba-da-boom Dori nearly kissed her…or maybe it was the other way around. Like how I wasn't quite sure if Allison's dad had hit Scott or Scott had hit Allison's Dad's car.

She pulled away from me and sat herself up, rubbing her hands down her arms as if attempting to warm herself and I nearly reached for her jacket until I realised she wasn't actual cold. She was just uncomfortable and trying to find her words.

"I don't know. I mean she dragged me out shopping, retail therapy or something, because Jackson had yelled at her about pressuring him in Lacrosse or something…" I found myself nodding along to her retelling like some sort of bobble-head in the back of a car. It seemed like a pretty normal situation, retail therapy definitely seemed like something Lydia would do. I can't imagine her going to a gym or shooting range to get out all her frustration.

"Shopping? For herself?" It seemed obvious, but maybe she was trying to give Dori a whole new make-over…which would be amazing if I'm being honest with you. Could you make Dori anymore fashionable? She was literally Lydia's soulmate in that respect, one of the many things they had in common, a good taste in clothes.

"Uh, no."

"No?" I was confused, was she shopping for Dori then? Obviously she wouldn't be shopping for Jackson…Allison maybe? One of the typical shallow blonde girls I saw her talking to in the hallways…I think one of them is called Sophia, but I can't be sure?

"Apparently she'd talked to you about 'Nerd Chic' or something and I had no idea until that moment that I knew your size in like everything…I'm not even joking. Everything." I had completely forgotten that Lydia and I had talked about her buying me new clothes…I'd made that compromise for literally no-reason, she was very good at manipulating you and I had to admire her for it. I wasn't really surprised Dori knew my size in 'everything' we'd lived together for 8 years, I could probably tell you anything from her favourite cereal to her bra size. So the fact she could do the same was really no new news.

"Oh no…" I shut my eyes tightly just imagining my new wardrobe…she'd probably thrown out all my raggedy jeans and things…what if I only had heels and skirts left?! What if I was forced to walk around in a towel forever?! I had really stumpy legs okay? I was also never able to keep towels from falling down! I'd 100% flash Stiles or Scott…I did not need that…or I'd accidentally flash creepy Matt or Greenberg…or Mr. Harris…ugh…

"Yeah, and then she wanted to come back here to put all this shit in your wardrobe so we did…and I don't know, one minute I'm telling her Jackson is an idiot and she deserves better, the next? We're really close and I…we nearly kiss and then she practically legs it out the house and…I'm stuck in one spot staring at your wardrobe wondering why there were so many onesies in it." Thank God, she hadn't gotten rid of my onesies…I loved those things. But seriously, she just left? Jesus. No wonder, Dori was in such a state. She didn't know whether to be happy, concerned, worried, or angry and most likely she wasn't sure if everything with Lydia had fucked up. But I guarantee come school Lydia will be pretending it never happened and treating Dori like normal. She wasn't just going to blank her. That was my job when stuff went wrong. Because I was a natural idiot…and exceedingly skittish and easily startled…like a deer…or a bunny…or bloggers.

"Hey! Onesies are cool and comfortable….you wanna have a look at my Lydia approved Wardrobe with me and laugh about how unlucky I am to take your mind off of all of this?" I gestured my hand in the air as if 'all of this' was a physical object that the both of us could see. I wonder what it would materialise as if it was an object…some sort of artist piece with hearts and raccoons on it most likely.

"Yeah…why not?" She shrugged and pushed herself off the bed slumping past me, her mood still not the best, but it was something and I wasn't going to let her wallow and brood over it. It was one of many things that were going to happen in life and if Lydia and Dori's relationship was rocky for a while I was pretty sure it'd work itself out eventually. They were just that good for each other.

"We can eat ice-cream and watch what you want afterwards" I followed after her leaving her blue and calming room behind and beginning the walk down the hallway to my own which resided at the very furthest end. Far from the other rooms…I kind of liked the privacy not that I had much real need of it. But it was nice when I wanted to wallow or draw alone. Even if I wanted to phone up one of the boys because I knew nobody would be listening in to our conversation.

"Harry Potter?" Dori was one of those secret nerds. The ones who act cool in public and then have their own dirty little secrets whether its fanfiction or comic-books. Dori had a multitude of dirty secrets including and not limited to geeky things. But the other stuff is a bit too R-rated for us to mention at this time of day…

"Harry Potter it is!" We made it to my room at the halls end and I opened the dark wood door to reveal a…well a clean room? Why was I so surprised I hear you ask? Well, when I left it that morning clothes were strewn about the place, my desk was covered in pens and paper and my covers were ruffled. It was like a hurricane had come through my room and tidied everything up. The posters and pictures on my wall were all lined perfectly, the desk was neat and arranged precisely, my bed sat beneath my window was nicely made and looked better than whenever I had made it myself. The only thing out of place in that seemingly perfect room was the small feminine looking bag that was sat neatly atop the red of my bed covers.

It was bright pink, looked rather innocent and sat delicately above my bed as if it could do no harm. It had peaked my curiosity rather sharply, but my focus was diverted to my wardrobe and what might possibly lay behind it by Dori who gave a sharp nudge and cough. Surely what was behind those doors couldn't be that bad. After all it was only Lydia and Dori. It wasn't as if I was going to open up my wardrobe to find a rabid grizzly bear or even another world inside of it, although it did feel like those were valid possibilities at that moment in time. There was a distinct bout of nerves in my stomach wrestling back and forth like they were in a cage fight. I wonder who was winning. I just truly hoped that my wardrobe wasn't filled with articles of clothing that I would find too uncomfortable or awkward to wear. I doubt I'd be the only shocked one if I turned up to school in a dress or skirt…it wasn't really my thing. Not that I wouldn't. I mean, I had before, I just was so used to wearing trousers exposing my legs felt weird and vulnerable.

But despite the worry and dread I had as I walked towards said closet, I was grateful that Lydia had cleaned up my room like she had…even if it was inadvertently because of Jackass. The mess in my room was starting to get a right pain and I was constantly tripping over things in the middle of the night or getting annoyed with how it was…but I really didn't like cleaning. At all. I liked cleaning about as much as I liked the idea of having an hour of detention with Mr. Harris after school. Which is to say not very much…or alternatively I'd rather gouge my eyes out with a wooden spoon.

Opening the closet I breathed a complete sigh of relief at its contents. It looked for the most part relatively normal. Yes, there were obviously pieces of clothing that better suited my sister and her future wife; skirts and dresses mostly, but she had kept my t-shirts and my onesies and there was certainly a multitude of jeans and trousers inside that wardrobe. I was certain that half the items in that wardrobe, however, now cost more than my whole bank account and that Lydia hadn't given it a second thought. Despite finding the majority of the wardrobe to be rather decent and not at all life and friendship threatening there was one thing that I did blanched rather badly at. That being the state of my pajamas as I realised half my pajamas had been replaced with what appeared to be rather expensive and rather short night dresses that I was sure I'd never wear which lead to the question…what exactly was in that small pink and shiny back sat rather innocently atop my bed covers. Nothing good I was pretty damn sure, if the giggles from behind me were anything to go by.

I could hear Dori behind me, and I wasn't sure whether it was at the prospect of what was hidden in that bag or it was the fact that my clothes had all been changed about, but either way I was undeniably worried at the sound of her somewhat maniacal giggling. I took small, shuffling steps closer to my bed-thankfully after begging I had been given a double bed…I pulled the 'I need my space' card-and that daunting little bag. There was that feeling in the pit of my stomach the one that said this was the object that would cause my ultimate and complete downfall like Superman's Kryptonite or the straw that broke Alphonse the camel's back.

There was a clear definite tension in the room-or maybe I was imagining it-as I inched my fingers towards the opening of that bag. I'm pretty sure I heard Dori take a deep intake of breath as if she was watching some sort of horror movie or the impending kiss in a romantic-comedy…which she denies she watches to this very day. (I, however, know the truth!)

"Oh my God..." I stared blankly for a moment into the small bag before lifting out the thin lacy material that I was sure I was imagining. "Dori!? Why is your future wife buying me underwear!?" The garment was the sort of thing you saw in catalogues and lingerie shops…lacy, rather transparent looking, and blood red. While I admired the fact it was rather nice looking I was equally concerned as to why I'd need it. It wasn't as if I had anyone to wear it for and I wasn't going to wear it to school…we all know that teenagers have like a sixth sense for these things.

I suppose I should be flattered that Lydia Martin felt I'd had some form of success in my love life that would dictate my need for sexy underwear…however, it was equally awkward and uncomfortable. Where was I going to put it? If mum found it I'd be both dead and buried. If the boys somehow decided to scour my room and found it I'm sure they'd melt into dust and I'm pretty sure I didn't even want to know I had it. It was both daunting and tempting….and severely confusing.

"Dori, stop laughing…this isn't funny…" She was practically cackling, a godawful sound that both irritated me in that moment and made me want to smile because she was cheering up. But did she really have to keep laughing while I was holding lacy undergarments in my hands. Lacy undergarments her future lover had bought of all the things in the world…Dori wasn't kidding when she said she knew my size in everything…Jesus Christ, I was slightly impressed and I horrified.

"Oh god, what if your little nerds find out that innocent Lottie has lingerie!" I refused to believe that my face was getting warmer and that the idea of them finding out was about as bad as them walking in on me naked. Especially Scott…he'd get this really sad puppy dog look of horror that would make you feel like you'd just kicked him. Anyway they weren't my nerds. They were their own nerds. They had total freedom and I didn't own them in the slightest…I don't agree with slavery; there's a reason the slave trade was abolished in the 1800s.

"Shut up! Scott and Stiles are never going to know about this, okay?! They have no need!" I still had the lacy fabric in my hands for whatever reason as I gestured widely around the room, probably looking utterly terrified at the prospect of the boys finding out about this. It wasn't that it was an entirely embarrassing subject…I mean I was a teenage girl right? But they were my friends and did I really want them knowing about the contents of my underwear drawer? No. No I didn't. That was something reserved for me, my mother, and anyone I intend to marry, not my two best and male friends.

"Yet…"

"Dori!" I don't think my voice could possibly reach a higher octave than the one it had found at that moment. While on one hand Dori's laughter was a blessing, on the other I was 100% embarrassed and completely ready to curl up into a corner and die. I'm not even kidding I was fully prepared to do that at that very moment as my Step-sister laughed in my face and I held skimpy underwear… _why is it always me?_

"Alright, fine I'll shut up now…but please put it away before I can't stop laughing!" I practically shoved the garments away and under my bed where I hoped nobody would ever find them before shoving her playfully towards my bed and setting up the TV.

"So how was your day with the wonder twins anyway?" She had settled herself under my covers, the duvet pulled up to her chin as one of her arms rooted around in my bedside table which held my secret (or not so) stash of sugary confections which I really shouldn't eat in as large quantities as I do…but…what you gonna do?

"It was fun…I told them about Ben…" I set the Philosopher's Stone up and began walking back to her, she'd managed to grab all my sweets and lay them out across my bed like some sort of buffet.

"And?" I crawled my way under the covers, situating myself in a way that I would be comfortable for the next God knows how many hours of Harry Potter I had to watch…but at least we finally got some bonding time in. I had kind of missed Dori even despite living with her.

"They want to play a prank on him…" I fiddled about with the bed covers beneath me, they wanted to get their own back. They wanted to punish him…I still didn't know how they planned to do that when he was all the way over in England…but I was kind of fond of the idea of Ben finally getting a little harmless comeuppance.

"Count me in. When they decide to do it, you get me right away I want to be involved…" There was this mischievous little smirk on Dori's face, the one that said she was imagining all the fun she could have with this prank.

"Is this because he was a bitch or because you two have history?" I've mentioned before how the two of them had a love/hate friendship…well mostly that was because at one point they did in fact date. They dated and it ended rather…poorly. So now they were stuck in some sort of loop, with them not quite deciding if they like each other or want to kill each other.

"Bit of both…" I could deal with that. I could deal with her wanting a little bit of karma for the both of us. Now don't get me wrong…Ben was still my friend, or at least I wanted him to be. But he had done something completely shitty and for that he needed some form of punishment and since I couldn't slap him upside the head from halfway across the world I might as well let the boys have their fun and see what happens.

We finally shut up and started Harry Potter, after all if Dori wanted Harry Potter then Harry Potter would be what she got…a whole marathon…all night and morning long. Despite the fact I very obviously had school the next day. But I didn't complain, I watched the movies and snuggled with Dori hoping it would keep her mind far away from her impending discussion with Lydia because God Knows she couldn't and wouldn't just avoid her. That wasn't Dori's thing…but she'd definitely mope about it if she wasn't kept busy.

I hadn't realised how much I actually missed spending time with Dori, how long it had been since we just sat down and watched a movie. Maybe it wasn't that long, only since the summer really, but it was long enough that I missed it. I missed just being sisters with no outside problems. No girls to impress. No boys to ignore. I missed it and I missed her entirely.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Dear Readers, due to exams coming up this will be the last chapter I post until after May 20th. It's only a temporary thing, it's just so I can focus on my exams :) This Chapter is longer than usually to hopefully tide you guys over until my exams are done :)**

I woke the next morning tired beyond belief, hands rubbing my eyes like small child to get rid of the sleepy dust that had settled there overnight. It was early and we'd only fallen asleep perhaps 3 hours ago. I was absolutely shattered and not ready for my day of 'important' learning, but Dori looked even worse. There was the familiar murmuring from her and her hair was more of a mess than mine for once. She was still sleeping, bless her soul, and I poked her in an attempt to wake her up, she muttered under her breath before turning over and pulling her pillow tighter to her sighing out happily "Lydia…" A little too happily.

I wondered about the contents of that dream, but chose not to look too far into it in case I could never look at her or my bed ever again…ugh. That was not what I wanted to think about in relation to my own sister and her future-wife. It was actually kind of disgusting to think about Dori doing anything close to that…I should probably stop thinking about this, it was getting really creepy.

"Dori…Dori get up…" I pushed her harder from my spot sat on the heels of my feet. I was sure my dark hair had formed its usual birds nest and I still hadn't put my glasses back on, making everything ridiculously blurry seeing as I was unfortunately blind as a very very old bat. I, however, wasn't as cute in the mornings as said bats unfortunately.

Dori merely pulled the pillow tighter to herself moving slightly further away from me making me huff at how hard she was to wake in the mornings sometimes. It was actually a wonder that she ever got to school on time…I swear she could sleep for days and sleep through practically anything including that time a whole bunch of fire trucks, ambulances, and police cars were down our road because of a traffic accident at 1 in the morning.

"Dori!" If pushing her wouldn't work, maybe yelling in her ear would. She started awake, losing her balance and falling off the bed and onto the floor. The terrified look on her face as she scrambled for purchase only succeeding in grabbing more and more of the loose covers was enough to have me bawling with laughter; blind or not blind that was the best thing I'd seen to date. She was usually at least somewhat graceful and it was with complete joy that I watched her fall with a quiet oof.

"What the fuck?!" I scrambled off the bed and grabbed my glasses as she stood turning to me with a scowl that could rival Thorin Oakenshield's. Sure I had woken her up, but did she really have to be so angry. If I didn't she'd never get up and then where would we be? Well I'd be a school and she'd be here….and mum would be pissed at me even more for leaving Dori here instead of taking her to school. Bloody school. School that I was way too tired to even think about surviving.

"You weren't waking up! What else was I supposed to do?" I shrugged, using the bed as a barrier between the two of us. She looked about ready to hit me, I knew…well I had faith that she wouldn't, but with Dori sometimes you can never be too careful, especially when it's her sleep that you're interrupting. She loved her sleep a great deal, perhaps more than anything else in her life.

"Leave me to my sleep...?!" I rubbed a hand on the nape of my neck, looking at her over the tops of my glasses with a guilty smile…so maybe I could have left her for a bit and tried again but…

"To your _sweet_ dreams of Lydia?" A surprising flush came to her cheeks at the mention of her dreams…which lead me to two assumption either she was just embarrassed about a simply innocent dream or it wasn't so innocent and my bed was I need of a wash…ugh…why did I have to ask these questions?

"How did you know I was-"

"You talk in your sleep…" I cut her off, pulling the covers of my bed into their rightful place. It seemed stupid, but if I didn't make it now it'd never get made and I'd be stuck with a mess of a room…or more of a mess.

"Yeah well so do you." She sounded like a child trying to stop herself from embarrassment. There was no real reason for her to start something and once we got into it would keep going and going and going.

"I do not."

"You do." I finished making my bed and looked at her as if she was mad. I didn't sleep talk. I was silent like a ninja…or a mouse…

"Do not." My voice was becoming louder and I walked away from her and towards my TV turning it off from where it was stuck on the Title Screen for Harry Potter and the Order of The Phoenix. Apparently we hadn't finished all of the movies last night and we had fallen asleep before it ended. That was our electricity bill boosted up…

"Do. I heard you last night - oh stiles," she mocked in a poor imitation of my voice.

"Shut up and get up." I gave up. Once she got her head around the idea I couldn't really do much and I had no proof that I didn't sleep talk…maybe I should film myself sleeping at some point for experimental purposes of course. Also to make sure I really wasn't saying anything disturbing in my sleep. Although I'd have to borrow a camera off that creepy guy from School…Martin? No Matt. He gave me the willies. There was something not quite right about that kid and I just couldn't put my finger on it…meh, it wasn't important right now.

I opened my wardrobe and just stared. I forgot that Lydia had given me clothes…lots of clothes…including the underwear beneath my bed. Shit. "Why are you staring at your clothes like that?" Dori came up behind me, a brush being run through her hair and getting caught every now and again in the thick strands.

"There's too many options…she's given me options…" There was colour, there were styles, and there was more than my usual raggedy pair of jeans and a funky t-shirt that I probably spend an arm and a leg on just because I thought it was cool. There were dresses and skirts and fancy tops. How she had fitted it all in my tiny closet I'm not sure…but she did and now I didn't know what to do. On one hand I could wear what I was comfortable in, on the other I felt like I owed Lydia at least one day of me wearing something nicer than my usual style...

"Oh my god…you feel obligated to wear something nice don't you…" I practically hear the smirk in her voice. But yes. I was way too damn nice and while Lydia and I might not have been the best of friends, braiding each other's hair and whatnot, I did feel like she deserved something from me. She'd spent her time and money on me and she'd cleaned my room to boot. So yes, there was that sense of obligation that I had felt way too often in my life...

"A little bit…" I agreed still staring at that array of colourful clothing. My face was set in frown-decision making wasn't my strong suit.

"I will pay you to wear a dress or something… I swear to God" I could already imagine the fallout from me actually wearing a dress…firstly I'd have to go shave my legs because with Lydia you can never be too careful on what she'd pick up on, and then I'd probably get tonnes of jokes about actually having skin underneath my trousers…in fact I don't think anyone at school had seen me in anything but my jeans…maybe it was about time that changed eh? I mean not forever, I'd cry if I had to wear a dress every day, but it was a new week and maybe that meant a change was in order.

"How much?" I was pretty poor. In fact I should probably see about getting a job…maybe the vets needed another person? Working with Scott could be quite fun…or maybe the Sheriff needed a paper pusher or coffee maker? I'd have to ask around. While working terrified me and sparked my social anxiety, I really wanted some money to put into my pocket…especially if I was going to be an active teenager and mum was going to be angry at me…

"A tenner?" She offered.

"Dori. That's like $12." I was unimpressed, I was going to milk as much money from my infinitely richer sister as I could…especially as this would be a one-time occasion that would most likely never happen ever again. Unless I suddenly came over with the feeling of releasing my legs from their trouser-y prison!

"Fine. $20, deal or no deal?" At least 20 was enough to tide me over…unless a video game came out…I was still having a struggle getting used to the new currency, and kept trying to convert things back into pounds in my head to get an idea of price. I also hadn't mastered Fahrenheit instead of Celsius…I kept having a heart attack when the Weather channel told us the temperature it always sounded hotter than Mount Doom.

"Deal, now get out of my room, we've got to go in like an hour!" She left and I was left to my own devices which meant showering, shaving, make-up and…well putting on a dress for the first time since my prom. Which was a good 7 or 8 months ago. Naturally I was still wearing my converse, which I'm sure Lydia would kill me for, but for once I was wearing a dress…and I actually liked it. Not the vulnerability of it, but the way it looked. It was pretty thing, somewhat reminiscent of a 40s or 50s style dress, blue in colour with what appeared to be purple butterflies on it. It had no sleeves (luckily my hoodie would help with that issue), a high neckline and came to just above my knee…apparently, and unsurprisingly, Lydia knew how to dress short people. I liked the way it looked…and I felt oddly 'pretty' for once which wasn't something I often cared about…most likely by the end of the day I'd have Jackson putting my self-confidence down to zero, but for now I was going to relish the opportunity and my $20.

We had about 10 minutes to get our stuff, eat and be on the road if we were going to be in school on time. For some reason the idiot who built Beacon Hills High decided it should be in the middle of nowhere. I had a real struggle stuffing my books and such into my rucksack before taking off down the stairs.

"Oh my god…you're a girl?!" I stooped halfway down the stairs, rolling my eyes at Dori who was grinning with her phone held in her hand at my appearance. Yes I tried. Yes I actually put some effort into how I looked rather than just rolling out of bed, but did she have to tease me like that?

"Ha ha, very funny" I was about to start back down the stairs when she put her hand up to stop me so I did. Standing there rather awkwardly and tugging on the edges of my hoodie…I really needed more than one. I complained to the boys about that quite a bit actually. That I just didn't have enough. That I lived in one hoodie and one hoodie alone.

"Smile!" She lifted her phone up with a grin that was going to be the death of me; I was sure of it.

"Dori! No!"

"What? I want to record this moment!" It was as if this was some sort of historic event and I suppose in terms of my record with dresses that it was…but really? Did she have to make such a big deal out of it? I felt odd about being in a dress to start with let alone her drawing extra attention to it so early in the morning. I was kind of terrified to go to school dressed like this…but I reasoned that I would do this and I would feel good about myself. If I didn't care normally then why should I care when I've actually put an effort in?

"Fine…but you better not send it to anyone." I finally conceded. If she wanted a picture I'd let her have a picture, she just better not send it to anyone. I wasn't quite ready for other people to have photographic proof that I indeed did dress up for school.

"They're going to see you at school anyway…"

"Yeah, but why spoil the surprise?" I shrugged, it was sure to be a surprise. Lydia might faint. Scott and Stiles might run for the hills. Danny will probably tease the fudge out of me and Allison will…well Allison will probably get giggly and smiley like normal. She was a very cheery person I'd found.

"Whatever, just smile alright?" I stood there for a bit, smiled a tad and tried my best to give her a half decent photo. If I didn't she'd just take longer to take the photo anyway. Finally she finished and apparently had been eating toast before I interrupted her. Mum and Norman weren't anywhere in sight and it was something that disappointed me…I wanted that approval that came with dressing differently, but apparently I wouldn't be getting it.

"I'm very hungry and would appreciate some of your toast?" We had very little time until we had to be in the ford and heading to school and I wasn't a fan of being late. It put everyone's eyes on you and got you in trouble with otherwise pleasant teachers.

"Half my toast and $20? Fine, c'mere" She gave me half her toast and pulled the money from her purse. We quickly finished what little breakfast we had and got into the car, finally on our way to school. I couldn't deny the jitters I felt being dressed like that however. I felt like going back and getting changed, but I'd said I would do this and I would. Come rain or shine.

When we finally got to school and got parked I felt even more reluctant to leave the car, but Dori somehow coerced me into doing so. I could see Stiles' Jeep and Lydia's Beetle in the car park and knew they were already there. Oh jesus, Dori had to deal with Lydia after yesterday didn't she? I bet that'll be a fun conversation if any conversation is had.

It was when we noticed a hoard of students round by the buses that we took a bit of a detour and what I saw was…well it was scary. I mean I was scared of a lot of things, clowns, rabid dogs, spiders…but seeing a bloody and broken bus surrounded by police was another thing entirely.

The back end was practically torn off, huge gashes in the side the metal that of the like that I'd never seen before. Bloody smeared across glass and yellow paint…it was like something out of a horror movie and it took a hand resting atop my shoulder to get me out of my trance.

"Lottie…you okay?" I physically jumped, bringing a hand up to grip above my heart and closing my eyes before taking a calming breath. It shouldn't have scared me at all…or at least that much. But seeing that bus was something I don't think I'd get over anytime soon. So much blood. What could possibly have done that?

"Uh, yeah…yeah…just startled is all…" My voice was breathy, still trying to catch my breath as I looked up at Stiles who looked just as worried as I felt. His eyes lingered on the back of that bus before turning back to the school doors which I'd completely forgotten about.

"It's okay, c'mon let's get to class" A hand rested on my lower back and started guiding me up the stairs and inside the school, Stiles kept looking forward or back…he hadn't looked at me once. Not that I was too worried about that. I was about as bad having an internal freak out over the fact one of our school buses had been maimed and it was obvious that someone had been inside of it at the time…I hope they're okay.

"Where'd Dori go?" I didn't see her by us, in fact there wasn't anyone else around. I suppose we were some of the last to get to class. Great. I went through all that trouble to not be late and a freaky bus ruins it.

"Theo, left…got dragged off by Lydia or something…" He didn't seem to know. It was as if he was just going through a set of motions…obviously something was on his mind. A lot seemed to be on his and Scott's minds lately. I wish I knew what, maybe I could help? But it wasn't my place to be nosy no matter how much I wanted to be.

"Oh…" We were finally nearing our classroom when Stiles looked at me and stopped abruptly. I halted and turned back to him curious as to why he wasn't walking beside me anymore. He had an odd look on his features that I couldn't quite decipher, but it was…well it was something. I suddenly felt uncomfortable and fidgety like I was underneath a microscope of some sort.

"You, uh, you look really…um, nice today…" While nice wasn't necessarily the best form of compliment I still found my skin flushing for no real reason. It was just Stiles after all…but it was nice to get a compliment and get that sort of recognition. I smiled unsurely back at him.

"Thanks, Stiles…class?" I tightened the hold on my rucksack and started walking backwards, if we didn't get to class soon we'd probably get in even deeper trouble. Although I'm sure Stiles could blag something to get us out of it…I didn't doubt that he had to get out of trouble often.

"Yeah! Yeah…right…" He looked like he was coming out of some sort of daze. It was actually quite funny…and so very Stiles. He caught up to me and we finally got to class…where he made up some lie about me needing help with my locker to excuse us. For some reason it worked, I guess our teacher was just a little bit sympathetic towards my plight as a poor poor English girl dealing with combination locks which I still had trouble opening.

The lesson seemed to be going normally and I wasn't worried about the bus too much anymore when a girl in our class, Bonnie I think, called from her place by the window. Naturally being the teenagers we were we all scrambled over to see what was going on, I was just in front of the boys and fixated on the body on the gurney being taken to the ambulance. Was he dead? Oh god…oh god…I could feel my heart beating perhaps way too fast for the situation, but Jesus why was everyone else so calm about this?

It was when the man essentially jumped up screaming that I found myself stumbling backwards into a body. I knew immediately whose it was as well. It always seemed to be the same person whenever I had a mini freak out, not that I was complaining, but he must've realised how big of a wimp I was by now.

"Hey, it's okay…" Stiles was a miracle sometimes. A complete goddamn miracle. He never has to but he always helps me out. He genuinely is like an everyday superhero, just hyped up on Adderall and with a tendency to fawn over Lydia Martin.

Hands slid down my upper arms and I leant back, trying to calm down. It was okay, he was alive. He was just in shock or something…no need to get so worked up about it. No need to get so scared. I felt like I was going to have a panic attack, but I didn't. Somehow I managed to calm down (Thanks mostly to Stiles and Scott who were right there) and we eventually got back to the lesson at hand, but it was clear nobody was really focusing on it. The image of a bloody body shooting up was set on loop in my brain for most of the day. Even when I was sat in art…art where I found a drawing I'd completely forgotten about at the back of my sketch book. A drawing I still needed to give to a certain someone now more than ever.

Lunch turned up surprisingly fast. I was sitting as per usual with Scott and Stiles, messing about and eating fries. It was good to be back with them again. I hadn't known how much I'd really missed having a relaxing lunch break…or it was supposed to be relaxing. I realised it wasn't going to be when I saw Lydia strutting her way to our table with her and Dori's group. Dori looked like a kicked puppy and obviously they hadn't had a talk…or they had and it hadn't gone well.

I was entirely uncomfortable when they all sat down in various seats, and the boys were equally as confused. I offered Danny and Allison a smile before stuffing a fries in my mouth to distract from the fact Jackson was being his usual arsehole self not a few feet away from me. He was naturally the last to sit down…after pushing Greenburg away. I could see Dori wince at the mention of Lydia as Jackson's girlfriend…yeah, he really wasn't the best boyfriend around was he?

"They're sitting with us. Why're they sitting with us?" It was like Stiles was having a mini heart attack which considering the woman of his many wet dreams was sat on our table, he probably was. I'd be having a similar if not worse reaction if I was in his place…

"I don't know? Why should I know?" I shook my head at the boy, waving one of my many fries about as if to point out how little involvement I had. Originally we'd been whispering, but each whisper grew slightly louder in volume until the whole table could hear us.

"It's your sister's clique!" I could see Scott rolling his eyes at the two of us. I had turned to face Stiles more in my seat giving him a look that probably could only be described as the confused face of Han Solo.

"I have no control over them. I'm a nerd." I sometimes wished I had control over them it would make my life a whole lot easier and a whole lot less disturbing that's for sure. I could maybe get Jackson to donate to the poor and buy me a dog and a new car. I needed a new car and yet that asshole had a Porsche. Where was the justice in that? I deserved at least a working car that didn't creak if you tapped.

"You are so not a nerd." I pulled out my phone and showed him my Jar Jar Binks background before continuing.

"I am." He was literally mad if he thought I wasn't part of his group of 'nerds' there was no way I fitted in with Lydia's group. I tried that remember? It didn't work, I got picked on and ended up spending lunch in the girls toilets instead. I was not popular material, I didn't have the stomach for it or the witty comebacks.

"A, a phone background isn't valid proof of nerdery, and B, a respectable nerd wouldn't have Jar Jar as their background. Everyone knows he was the worst character of the entire franchise" He was leaning an elbow against the table now, gesturing around in the air as if he could draw a picture of some sorts. The others were watching us like it was some sort of tennis match…well except Lydia she looked like she was getting more and more bored by the second and might just kill the both of us which would probably have been a fair assessment considering we were delaying whatever important conversation they wanted to have.

"What? Jar Jar's the best! And no un-nerdy person would have a Star Wars character as their phone background, this is absolutely valid proof of my nerdiness." I brought up a finger and poked him between the eyes, pushing back his head and making his eyes cross. He huffed at the movement swiping at my hand and slapping it away.

"Nope, you're not- "He was cut off by Lydia who cut in with her usual abrasive nature and pouty lips…and as per usual she made it awkward for everyone around her.

"I think what you're nerd friend is trying to say is you're hot"

"Thank you for your stunning in sight, Lydia now…why are you here?" I ignored the comment. It was like Dori had been teaching her one hundred ways to embarrass Charlotte. Over the years I'd learnt to just ignore it …or try to. There were subconscious, instinctual reactions you couldn't stop like the flush of my cheeks and of course I couldn't' stop Stiles from flailing around in protest and then apologising because he didn't mean I didn't look nice today. Luckily Scott shut him up. There were times I could throttle Stiles and kiss Scott, it was one of those times.

"Because we can be." Lydia began looking at her nails as if checking for a crack, the blatant statement was so very Lydia and so very…popular. It was that cliché 'I'm cool and I own this place' attitude that I had slowly become accustomed too. It didn't even annoy me anymore…well from Lydia.

"Right of course…shutting up now…" I pushed my glassed back up the bridge of my nose and looked briefly to Dori. It was obvious that Lydia had chosen to ignore whatever near kiss they had, instead preferring to go back to normal. I wasn't surprised, but I could tell it upset Dori. She thought she was getting somewhere and maybe she was…maybe she just needed to be more patient. After all Lydia was still 'sucking faces' with Jackass.

"So you all see the bus this morning?" Dori entered rolling her water between her hands as if she were bored. It was odd having such an animated table. Sure Stiles and Scott were pretty lively, but there were usually only 3 of us and it usually a quieter affair. Not that I was complaining…okay, maybe I was a little, but it's not my fault Jackson was there.

"I hear they're saying it's some type of animal attack" Danny on the other hand was perfectly welcome, even if he brings up animal attacks while eating apples to a previous pleasant conversation about whether Yoda was a better teacher than Obi Wan Kenobi. "Probably a cougar?" I was still rooting for Obi Wan.

"Or a bear, you guys have bears right?" In England the worst thing you'd probably encounter is going to be a fox. We don't have bears, wolves, cougars, elephants, or chupacabra. It was kind of boring, but also rather calmingly safe. You didn't hear about anyone getting attacked by an animal unless it was a dog. Here? The wildlife seemed to be intent on killing everyone systematically. Although bears are pretty cool. I like bears…but if I find one outside my front door I'm closing that door and hiding underneath my bed, Lydia's awkward present under there or not. I'd also probably call the Sheriff…he had a gun right? Or a taser…

"I heard mountain lion," I rolled my eyes at Jackson…we literally just said cougar didn't we? Or am I hearing things again…because I really should go see Dr. Smith about that or maybe the guidance counsellor. Creepy psychiatrist vs. French teacher? Tough choice, but I'm pretty sure Dr. Smith is a better choice…

"A cougar is a mountain lion," Lydia was smart. I was kind of proud of her for showing it until her mouth kept going and she put a fake confused expression on her face. "…isn't it?" I understood why she pretended to be thicker than Jackson's ego, but I didn't like it and I'm pretty sure neither did Stiles or Dori. She was smart…in fact she was a genius and she should be showing that off like no man's business. If I was that smart I wouldn't hide it, but I guess I'm not popular and don't really have a reputation past 'locker-girl' to uphold.

"Uh…yeah, but bears…" I chose to agree with Lydia as everyone else seemed like they were going to either stuff their faces (Stiles), look worried (Scott), or sit there looking bored. I wasn't quite sure why Scott looked so worried, I figured it was because his kind of girlfriend was there and so were her very intimidating and judging friends including a guy who didn't really like him. Apparently Jackson thought Scott was on steroids…which was ridiculous have you seen Scott? He's the most moral, law abiding kid around. Besides I was kind of a snoop and saw nothing out of place, but condoms in his house…which scarred me for life by the way. I really didn't need to think about Allison and Scott having sex. Not even if they're old, grey, and married.

"Shut up about the damn bear, Char!" Dori snapped at me from across the table, it was one of those times when I wasn't sure if that glare was a real one or her joking around me with. I just assumed the latter…mainly because I'm a bloody twat who apparently can't read social cues.

"But Bears Dori!" I protested, hands on the table leaning forward. I saw the boys look confused at one another before seemingly shaking their heads. They weren't really aware of my fondness for those 4 legged fluffy animals that could rip my head off. Maybe they'd never know…who knows…

"Shut up." A hand grasped the hood of my jacket pulling me back and making me sit down, I crossed my arms frowning at the chuckling Stiles before continuing on our previous topic…and not bears.

"Fine…but have we neglected to take note that no matter what committed the attack there's a severely injured man at hospital right now and no one seems concerned? Does this happen often?" It was true, mostly there was the bubble of excitement around school. I suppose that was just a teenager thing right? You don't know the guy so why should you be worried…but still, he'd looked near dead earlier and extremely terrified. It wasn't something I found easy to ignore. Not that that made me a better person, it's not as if I'm sending him flowers and gift vouchers now is it? I'm sat eating fries talking about him and bears while waiting for my stupid ass lessons.

"Who cares? The guy's probably some homeless tweaker who's gonna die anyway." There were times I thought that maybe Jackson had an ounce of goodness in him like Loki or Gally, but then he'd do or say something so abhorrent that I just think he's Jaba the Hunt instead. A giant slug keeping slaves and hurting people for his own pleasure. Even if he had pretty great hair.

"How sensitive of you, meathead. Really. I'm stunned by your empathy." If there was time I channelled Stiles the most it was probably that moment. Usually I wasn't one to speak up to Jackson…but really? Some guy gets attacked and your only instinct is to not give a damn because he might not be rich like you? Sometimes I hated classist, elitist people with an ego the size of Texas. In fact, I always hated classist, elitist people with an ego the size of Texas. I guess that's why Whittemore was such a no go zone on the tolerance scale.

"Shut up." If you watched Jackson get angry you could feel the wrinkles he'd get botoxed later in life. If you really watched you'd see all the grey hairs he had and the way he looked like a constipated possum.

"How abou-"

"Hey, hey…" Stiles cut me off with a placating tone and a hand pushing me back into my seat which I had unknowingly risen from. I really needed to watch my temper. When had it gotten so hot? I always thought I was pretty passive…but… "I just found out who it is. Check it out." Stiles distracted me from my train of thought his phone being held out for everyone to see as we all crowded around the small devise. A video played

_'The Sheriff's department won't speculate on details of the incident but confirmed the victim, Garrison Meyers, did survive the attack.'_ You could see the reporter and behind them the bus. It was just as horrid as it was that morning except I wasn't staring at the real thing. I wasn't staring at blood right in front of my eyes. _'Meyers was taken to a local hospital where he remains in critical condition.'_ It was surreal knowing I'd seen that bus, that man, in the flesh. I can't imagine what I'd be like if it was my family instead of some random guy.

"I-I know this guy…" The video came to a final end, which was somewhat relieving until Scott spoke up looking even more worried than he had previously which was a feat I didn't think he could manage. That boy was probably having a pretty bad day; from what I heard he had a nightmare, then he sees a bus ripped open, a guy come back to life, Jackson sits at his table, and the guy happens to be someone he knows. That's what I call a hell of a day and it's only halfway done.

"You do?" It would have been, in any other circumstance, cute the concern Allison showed for Scott. Except people were being eaten alive (or not so alive…or not so eaten more maimed) and Scott knew them. We'd made the perfect move hadn't we?

"Y-yeah, when I used to take the bus back when I lived with my dad. He was the driver."

"You okay?" Dori spoke up, she rarely spoke or interacted with Scott, but it didn't mean she couldn't show concern. Dori sometimes appeared unsympathetic, I suppose it was the way she had difficulty expressing things other than her usual confidence, but I was pretty sure she cared about people deep, deep down. Even if that deep down meant to the unexplored depths of the ocean.

"Y-yeah…" I narrowed my eyes at him before rolling my well-earned muffin across the table to him. I had literally fought tooth and nail with a freshman for that muffin…but he needed it more than me today I think.

"Can we talk about something slightly more fun, please?" I was tempted to throw a chip at Lydia for the way she could so happily swap between such topics, but chose not to…I think she'd kill me and apparently I was in her good books for the way I had decided to dress that day. Which was a good thing. I think. "Like, oh, where are we going tomorrow night? You said you and Scott were hanging out tomorrow night, right?"

I winced and took a nervous drag from my drink. _Oh no._ You know what's going to happen now? That little date was now a hangout…and that hangout would put two people (Jackass and Scotty) who disliked/loathed each other in direct contact outside of school for long periods of time.

"Um, we were thinking of what we were gonna do." Allison was regrettably way too sweet. Some strength of character could help her to keep her date…well as a date. Unfortunately it was going southwards and you could practically see Scott's face deteriorating into the look of a man about to be hanged.

"Well, I am not sitting at home again watching lacrosse videos, so if the five of us are hanging out, we are doing something fun." Lydia was a determined little woman…I shouldn't really say little, she was an inch taller than me and then she wore heels. But that's beside the point, the point is Lydia was set on having a 'double date' and Allison and Scott were powerless to stop her. She really was a force of nature… _no wonder Dori likes her…_

"Five?" Allison questioned, I would too…if I was observant enough to notice she said five and not four. I really need to start listening properly. It was like Science all over again…except without sulphuric acid everywhere and Haley Rodi screaming her head off about her hair being ruined. I really was glad I didn't have to work with her anymore.

"Dori's coming of course" I could feel the conflict from Dori a mile off. There was some starting pride at being asked to go along and then the realisation that she'd have to watch Lydia and Jackass eat each other's faces and most likely watch Allison and Scott do the exact same thing, but in a more adorable and less disgusting fashion.

"I don't know…being fifth wheel isn't _really_ my thing…" A hand scratched the back of her neck beneath the long mass off blonde hair. She was trying, badly, to get out of it. But this was Lydia…and I was glad she wasn't throwing me under the bus as well though.

"Charlotte can come too, can't you?" I had spoken too soon. There was this very intense look in Lydia's green eyes as they stared into my own. It was like she was looking at my soul or at least being a human lie detector. I gulped heavily, I was terrible liar. I had no excuse. _Think of something, idiot! Quickly!_

"Uh…Um, I have…a very important…date!" Really. That wasn't exactly believable and I could already see Dori sniffing out the lie. I hadn't been on a date once, I doubt it was going to start now and without me giggling to her about it first. Why couldn't I have said I had an optician's appointment or something? I was an idiot. I'm more of an idiot than pudge the fish.

"You do?" Dori looked like she was about to out me to Lydia (Which would make her a traitor and a turncoat…but I wouldn't blame her) I was surprised Lydia wasn't calling me out on my lie yet.

"She does." Stiles confirmed to my right, I slid a hand under the table for a subtle fist-bump…it didn't work. I just punched him in the thigh. Apparently you need to warn people about these things.

"With who?" Lydia had her nose the air, a risen eyebrow and a look that said 'I know this is a lie. I am going to skin you alive later'.

"With…with…" Who was there? Isaac from class? he was nice, but quiet. Greenburg? No. Martin from Art? I was pretty sure he did drugs in his spare time. How was it so hard to find someone you'd go on a date with?

"With me." I nearly choked on the sip of water I had taken, and looked at my friend like he was crazy. Did he know what he was going to cause? World War Three. Dori was already convinced I spent way too much time with him and Scott for it to be purely friendly, let alone…It was official my life was over. Goodbye world. Adios friends.

"With you?" Lydia practically turned her nose up at the idea and I felt a wince fall across my face. That had to sting. She really needed to stop treating Stiles like that, it was getting to a point where I might just knock some sense into her. A 30 minute PowerPoint presentation and some GIFs might do the job.

"Uh…yeah?"

"Mmm…alright the five of us hanging out then." She seemed to finally decide that it was a possibility. That yes. I would date Stiles…which, although, may ruin my teenage life was going to get me out of going on some awkward 'date' with all of them and would stop me killing Jackson.

It was odd…actually. The thought of going on a date with Stiles. I mean I know it's not a real date, but say it was? Would I be disgusted by the idea? I don't think so. I mean the guy was practically my best friend here, he'd done a lot for me in a short period of time…and he was funny. Plus I'd seen the way he talked about people he liked. He was dedicated and loyal. The girl who gets Stiles Stilinski was going to be a lucky one and I was lucky for having a friend as good as him. That didn't reduce how odd the situation was going to be.

"Do you wanna hang out, like us and them?" I was about ready to tune out their conversation. It was like watching someone get attacked or trip over a rock and spill their drink. You knew it was happening and it was going to happen, but you couldn't look away no matter how horrid it was to watch.

"Yeah, I guess. Sounds fun." I stuffed a few more fries in my mouth watching them ruin their futures like that. It was painful.

"You know what else sounds fun? Stabbing myself in the face with this fork." For once I agreed with Jackson. It was one thing to go on a date with someone you liked/loved but a double date with Dori as an add-on? You had two people who hated each other, two couples trying to one up the other, and poor Dori probably playing pinball in the corner. I kind of felt bad for not going with her the more I thought about it actually. Being confined to pinball was never fun.

"Please do…I'd enjoy seeing that!" He raised a certain middle finger with a sarcastic smile and I was tempted to bend it back…but violence was not the answer or something like that. Although sometimes I doubted that with Jackson.

"How 'bout bowling? You love to bowl." Bowling was an interesting choice…I was glad I wasn't going I hadn't been bowling since I was like 6 and I was terrible at it. Plus Jackson has a stick rammed so far up is arse he'd be a complete dick about my lack of skill. Someone should really pull that stick out and beat him over the head with it.

"Yeah, with actual competition."

"How do you know we're not actual competition? You can bowl, right?" Allison turned to Scott you could see the horror cloud his face. I had figured he'd be somewhat talented at bowling considering he could play lacrosse…but that face said otherwise. "Sort of."

"Is it sort of, or yes?" I could see Stiles shrinking in his seat. He obviously knew that Scott wasn't a good bowler…if there was one way to learn things about Scott it was to just watch Stiles react to what Scott says. Over time I've learnt that 1) Scott can't bowl 2) Scott was missing a lot of pop culture 3) He was up to something sneaky. I just didn't know what…although it wasn't really my business and I'd rather not piss them off by having a snoop around.

"Yes. In fact, I'm a great bowler." The rest of lunch was rather tense, but we had established that Scott and Stiles would pop round my house later in the evening after Scott got off work and we'd finally put whatever prank they'd cooked up into action. I was apprehensive about it especially when Stiles grinned. It looked like pure evil…but what's the worst that could happen?

It was when we were walking out of class and down the corridor that we finally addressed a few issues raised at that lunch session…well the boys did. They weren't really my issues, so I just made a few comments where appropriate and practically raced to keep up with their long legs. The only issue with being friends with two tall boys that like to run about, my short legs had real issues keeping up with them.

"You're a terrible bowler." I knew it. See you can tell a lot from Stiles sliding down in his seat feeling second hand embarrassment for Scotty. Which also made me realise just how little I actually knew about them…but then I guess that went both ways right?

"I know! I'm such an idiot."

"A big idiot." I added, it wasn't even a little issue. He'd literally gotten himself in one of the worst scenarios a teenage boy could get himself in. He wouldn't get an alone time with Allison and he'd be shown up by Jackson at bowling. Oh yeah, it was going to go terribly. On the Brightside Allison really likes him…so he'll be able to do damage control.

"God, it was like watching a car wreck. I mean, first it turned into the whole group date thing. Then Lottie and I are going on some freakin' cover up date. And then out of nowhere comes that phrase." Phrase? What phrase? I felt like this was going to be one of those teenage boy things that I'd need to learn. One of those secret guy code things…

"Hang out." The despair with which it was said was amazing. I mean sure it wasn't the best, but was Scott about to get guillotined? No. But then maybe for him it was a similar experience.

"You don't hang out with hot girls, okay? It's like death. Once it's hanging out, you might as well be her gay best friend. You and Danny can start hanging out."

"Seriously?" I managed to get in front of the two of them, looking at them like they'd grown an extra head. It was nice to know I wasn't considered attractive by my two friends. That was nice…or not so much? Or maybe I was being overly sensitive?

"Wha-Oh my god…I forgot you were there…not that you aren't attractive…um…just…oh God…" It was kind of amusing the look of pure horror across his mole ridden face, the way he waved his hands about and the falter in his steps and had I not been giggling I'm sure he would have continued digging himself a deeper hole.

"I hate you."

"How is this happening?" I turned back to Scott who'd been walking in a bit of a daze. I had to agree he was in a piss poor situation as it was. Not that he couldn't solve it, but really he'd create a bad run for himself. Bless him.

"I don't think Danny likes me very much." I had somehow managed to survive the day in a dress. I'd managed to survive an awkward lunch hour and Stiles deciding that he had to ask Danny if he found him attractive. Which I would say was odd…but it wasn't. It was pretty common for Stiles to do some random things.

"I ask Allison on a date, and now we're hanging out."

"It'll all be okay, buddy" I tried walking on my tiptoes for a while an arm wrapped somewhat around Scott's shoulders, but it was exhausting and he was completely off in his own world. Probably imagining all the terrible things that would happen tomorrow during his not-date. Like how he'd fail at bowling and she'd never love him again…which of course was bollocks because Allison was disgustingly into Scott.

"Am I not attractive to gay guys?" I would have tried to help Stiles too, but really it was tiresome when he went on his little random tangents. He made me read his essay on the history of the male circumcision okay? Admittedly it was interesting, but it did get kind of tiring.

"I make first line, and the team captain wants to destroy me, and now-now I'm gonna be late for work." Scott was off like a shot and sometimes I wonder how he runs so fast. It was like the Flash…or someone with a rocket pack. Maybe it was the long legs? Or all the suicide runs the Coach makes the Lacrosse Team do? Whatever it was he should bottle it and sell it.

"Wait, Scott, you didn't- am I attractive to gay guy- you didn't answer my question." For a little of the way Stiles and I walked in silence until we stopped by his jeep which was parked nearer to the school than my own car…which I could currently see Dori occupying, her feet on the dash like some sort of uncivilised heathen…

"I guess I'll see you later then?" I liked to think once the whole Ben being pranked thing is finished we could completely put that all behind us. It would also be nice for them to come round…meet the family…although Mum was still super angry at me. And I was growing resentful. Maybe I'd just keep them away from mum and Norman for the sake of all our health.

"Yeah…sorry about lunch…I was just trying to help…" A hand ran up to the nape of Stiles' neck rubbing it as his features creased up in apology. A small half-smile on his face and obviously nervous body language. Lunch didn't really bother me though. It was just what it was and at least I got out of the freaky date night thing they were all doing.

"It's okay…we'll just drive around, hang out." There was something nice about driving around the roads of Beacon Hills, I think it was all the trees and greenery everywhere.

"Yeah, get some fries?" We both knew where he was talking about, a little fast food place off the main road that he and his dad frequented far too often. The only upside other than the good fries? Stiles kept an eye on his dad's health, so I didn't have to. Although I tended to be softer on the Sheriff. Stiles was much sterner in what he believed his dad could and could not eat. It was kind of funny how much like parent he could be.

"You're paying." I joked, pushing a few strands of dark hair out of my face and squinting up at my friend.

"Wha-"

"It's a fake date, you're the guy." I reasoned. If we were going to do this, I was getting free food…mainly because I was really poor and needed to ask the Sheriff about a job. But mostly because I really wanted curly fries free of charge and Stiles would probably be too nice to deny me such a liberty.

"Fine." He sighed heavily rubbing his forehead, I lightly punched him in the shoulder as a friendly gesture before I remembered what I said I'd do today.

"Um…before I forget…I um, well I drew it for a project a while back, but I figured you could have it as a sort of apology present and stuff" I shuffled about in my bag finding the piece of paper covered in graphite before nervously passing it off. I didn't often show people my work…and it felt kind of weird giving him a drawing of his own face….but I was proud of it and I had little else to give bar my constant presence which I'm sure could get annoying.

"You drew this?" There was a soft look in his honey coloured eyes as he looked down at that rough piece of paper, holding it gently as if it would break. Which was ridiculous because it wasn't even that important and really it wasn't that good or that worthy of treatment…but it made my heart swell in pride.

"yeah…"I mumbled tugging on the strap of my bag, it was odd watching someone scrutinise a piece of my work like that. Well maybe scrutinise isn't the right word. He wasn't judging…it was more like Stiles was admiring it. It made a nice change to have that sort of reaction to my work from someone who mattered a great deal.

"It's real good, Lottie…I'll frame it…" He looked so proud of me. Of himself as he stood there holding it grinning like some sort of little child. It was flustering to get so much positive attention for something you've done.

"You don't hav-"

"Wait here" Stiles cut me off, racing around the back of his jeep and shifting about in there. I couldn't tell what he was searching for, but whatever it was he found it and quickly rushed back to me placing it in my hands. "Here." It was a hoodie…grey…old looking and maybe not the best, but comfortable looking.

"What's this for?" It was soft to the touch, the type of thing you'd want to wear to bed and never take off.

"You always complain you only have one hoodie so, I figured you could have one of mine as a thank you present…" He leant back against the jeep, smiling lightly at my apparent astonishment. I didn't really get presents except at birthdays and Christmas. No one had ever randomly given me something before. It was a nice feeling…to have a friend like that. Who knew you well enough and catered to your needs.

"Thank you for what?"

"The drawing…being my friend…y'know the usual..." I was stunned into near silence. Maybe that was the moment I really looked at Stiles Stilinski properly. It was a moment I realised that yes. He was my best friend. Not just a new friend. He was my best friend and I'd probably do just about anything for him.

"I…Thanks, Batman" I walked a few steps forward and wrapped my arms around his waist, crushing my cheek against his chest. Hugging Stiles was always nice and I was glad to be back to it after a week of being away from it.

"You're welcome, I'll see you tonight…" I waved him off, carrying my new hoodie with me towards the car. Today had been eventful and it still wasn't over…but I knew one thing. Stiles Stilinski was a very good person and he didn't know it.


	11. Chapter 11

Waiting around at home for the boys was uncomfortable. It made me nervous and excited all at the same time, which made writing an Essay about the German Constitution in the 1920s harder than it already was. There was this ever present need to get up and move. To do something. Anything. But what? It wasn't as if I was going to run around the block for a few minutes (Mainly because exercise was an evil crafted by Satan in the fiery pits of Hell and secondly because my Doctor told me not to do that). It wasn't that the boys were the issue, it was that we'd be pranking on Ben…he was still my friend even if he'd gone and messed up and I just hoped whatever they were doing wouldn't get him in too much trouble or harm him too much. I reasoned that at the very least they couldn't physically hurt him from all the way in California. But that didn't make me feel much better…

I was lying on my stomach with a few text books in front of me a top my bed, I figured any and all pranking business would just take place in my room away from the parents whom were either being way too kind to me or were giving me the silent and angry treatment. The latter was the main reason I was hiding in my room; I doubted anyone would like to go through that array of awkward tension.

"The Wonder Twins are coming round tonight right? For this prank?" Dori was spinning in my desk chair lazily, a contented look across her features. I knew she was eager to prank Ben. She'd been wanting to get her own back for years and with the recent events she'd most definitely enjoy teaching him a lesson or two or maybe even three if she got the opportunity. Their relationship was as strained as Socs and Greasers, I was waiting for one to drown the other. Provided they had the opportunity of course.

"Uh, yeah…" I looked up from where I was highlighting random passages of my text book, apparently a thing both me and Stiles had in common (over highlighting that is) and Mr. Harris hated it with a passion. I think that's why he liked to keep me on the desk farthest from Stiles and Scott. He thought they were a bad influence or something…or maybe he just liked to see me miserable surrounded by people who didn't know me and didn't care. Sometimes I'd get lucky and work with say Danny for an experiment, but for the most part I was stuck all alone miles away. It sucked eggs.

"Your little boyfriend told you what the prank is?" I sighed putting the highlighter down and rolling my eyes at Dori. I knew this was coming after what happened at lunch today. After all we'd come up with a stupid cover-up date and Dori had been waiting to jump on that band wagon for the past few weeks. In fact she'd been hinting at it when I was with any boy except Danny and Jackson. Even poor adorable Isaac. He'd been absolutely flustered at the suggestions Dori made, bless him…I felt terrible about that actually. It was obvious that he was shy. At least Stiles could take it and sometimes throw it back or he could at least forget about it.

"Firstly he's not my boyfriend and secondly no. He hasn't." I hadn't been told even a sliver of what the two of my friends had in store for Ben. In all honesty I wasn't sure I even wanted to know. It could be something completely dreadful…Stiles seemed like he could come up with some horrific plans and could be downright evil if he chose to be. Luckily he was a pretty pleasant guy for the majority of the time and I had yet to get on his bad side…and I didn't plan on it either. It wouldn't be anywhere near as pleasant as being on Santa's naughty list I can imagine.

"If he's not now he will be soon. After all aren't you going on a date tomorrow?" She stopped spinning the chair, one eyebrow raised questioningly at me as I laid there completely out of it. Everything she was saying made sense, if you were in one of those teenage dramas that is. But I wasn't. This was real life and just because we were going on a 'date' didn't mean we had any feelings for each other. Stiles was my best friend. Nothing more. I was thoroughly convinced of that. Besides as if a nice guy like Stiles would ever have an interest in me. I was awkward. Subpar in the looks department and I said some things that were really horrifying.

I nearly said no out of pure instinct, but stopped myself "…yes…" Because if I told her no and told her how it was all a rouse then she'd tell Lydia…and I'd get my arse kicked into next week and I had that enough without it being from 7 inch stilettos that could probably take a man's eyes out.

"See. He's your little boyfriend." She teased again and I was about ready to hit my head against the wall or something equally as hard. Besides why would she use little to describe Stiles? He was far from tiny as guys go, I mean I probably came to about his shoulder at most and my head was constantly some sort of arm rest for him.

"He's nearly 6 foot! I don't think he constitutes as little…" I fingered the highlighter flipping the cap on and off, letting it make a distinct clicking noise. In fact Stiles was tall, but also not as lanky as you'd think. He was a relatively solid young man for his age and he had pretty large hands and feet too. And an even larger mouth if you let him run it off all day.

"You never know some part of him might be…" You probably know exactly where my mind diverted at that point. The horror of thinking about your best friend's dick is amazing. Especially when said best friend was due to knock on the door any second. One thing I didn't want to be thinking about at that moment and yet Dori had literally planted the seed in my head.

"Oh my God…I can't believe you just said that about my best friend…" I was sure my mouth was agape and that I looked like a pretty funny sight which would explain why my sister was laughing as she started spinning in that bloody chair again. I was starting to really regret that lunch time. I should have said I had a doctor's appointment or something else. Instead I'd brought teasing, pain, and thoughts of Stiles' lower extremities upon myself. God help me.

"I think you mean boyfriend." She corrected my cheekily. She wasn't going to let this go was she? I closed my eyes groaning heavily in despair before a loud voice interrupted my thoughts.

"Whose boyfriend?" I yelped at the voice tumbling off my bed headed straight for the floor, and much like Dori that morning I must have looked a sight trying to scramble for purchase on my bed covers that merely fell with me as I tumbled to the ground with an ooph.

"Oh my God!" I could hear all three of them laughing at me as I pushed myself to my feet, my glasses sat wonkily across my face and my hair now more of a birds nest than before. "How did you two get in here!?" The only consolation I had was that despite the dress I hadn't flashed anyone. Which was a blessing in disguise especially with all the teasing I was getting. I didn't need another silly thing for Dori to hold over my head.

"Your step-dad let us in." I really wish I wasn't so easy to scare, the whole day had been filled with anxiety and fear. Whether it was because of the bus or because I've been snuck up on, either way I wasn't enjoying being stuck in the constant state of turmoil.

"Oh…right…" I had never felt more awkward in my own room before, stood there rocking back and forth on the heels of my feet and hands in the pocket of my hoodie. I had wanted to put on Stiles', but didn't. It instead sat folded nicely atop one of my pillows.

"So…whose boyfriend?" I ignored the question straightening out my glasses and pulling my covers back atop my bed. If I could whistle a shifty tune like they do in movies when they've done something wrong I would have. Maybe the least of my worries was Ben being pranked.

"Don't you worry your pretty little head, Stilinski" Dori had a twinkle in her eye and a half-smirk on her face that clearly told you the answer. Stiles was as per usual oblivious and slightly confused by her teasing, but Scott appeared to be holding in a laugh. I glared at him the best I could, but being short and harmless tends to make one less intimidating to Lacrosse Players.

"…Right…"

"So, you guys have a plan, right?" I sat down on my covers again, smoothing out the wrinkles, watching the two of them shuffle further into my room. Both of them were almost hilariously cautious as if they'd step on a booby trap or find some weird female creation…I should have left my underwear lying around just to see their faces. It would have been amazing and worthy of the internet.

"Yes! Right, uh…you have his mom's number right?" I did. A few years back she had given it to me in case I needed anything or Ben got in trouble which was nice. I liked Ben's mum, she was an absolute sweetheart like Mrs. McCall, but she didn't have the same presence. You could tell Mrs. McCall could be intimidating, but Ben's mum was far from it.

"Yes, yes I do…why?" I was once again brought back to the reality that we were doing this. I'd never pranked anyone before…I was a complete good-two-shoes and a complete scaredy cat. Which made me wonder were the boys bringing me more out of my shell or was I doing it myself?

"Because we're going to get him in trouble" I wasn't sure how I felt about this anymore…but then I remembered what he'd done and yes he did deserve to get in trouble. He deserved to get told off…and maybe I was being immature about this, but he'd caused me a lot of problems, and as much as a friend of his as I might be I shouldn't just let this slide.

"Yeah, well I can't phone her she'll know it's me" Dianne Long knew my voice after years of hearing it, there was no way in hell that she wouldn't recognise it and know that whatever's being said is a lie. Which brings me to the second point that I can't really lie anyway…not about something silly. I'd fail completely. As much as it should be me taking revenge I couldn't.

"I want to do it!" Dori piped up from her (my) chair, there was this evil little grin spread across her mouth that told you that she'd enjoy this more than perhaps she should. It was a fact of life that Dori was the more confident, more rebellious, and cooler sibling. I, however, was the one with bigger hair and a great ability to remain optimistic and reign Dori in when she was going to do something completely stupid.

"Are you sure she won't-?" I was quickly cut off. I was being cut off a lot lately, it was getting more and more frustrating each time. Would people just let me speak?!

"She won't recognise me. It'll be awesome!" I slid off the bed walking to my bedside table. Don't ask me why, but it was decided that I'd get a landline telephone in my room. I never used it and sometimes it woke me up at odd hours due to some stupid cold call salesman going on about PPI or something equally as scam like. But it did mean I wasn't sneaking in a stupid phone from downstairs where it would be most definitely missed.

"Right…okay…fine…" I passed the metallic coloured phone off to Dori before jumping back onto my bed, Scott took a seat on the floor for apparently no reason other than because he could and Stiles awkwardly perched himself on the end of my bed as if it would swallow him whole.

"So what am I saying?" Scott scooted towards her, muttering something or other. I didn't really bother trying to listen, I'd hear it put into practice anyway and the less I knew maybe the easier it would be to deny the fact that I was involved in this at all. I had this uncomfortable imagine of the Sheriff finding out and grounding all of us because he might only be Stiles' dad, but I'm pretty sure he could get us all locked away until we were 90 years old and bickering about whose slippers were whose.

"Alright…can you put this thing on speak?" It was times like that that you realise Dori isn't the best with technology, she couldn't drive and she couldn't work a landline telephone. My sister was slowly, but surely turning into an old violent woman, except one with a ferocious appetite and love of pizza. "Oh right…" She'd apparently found the correct button.

"What's the number?" I sighed getting up and walking over typing in the number quickly passing it back to her and all but diving a top my bed and accidentally partially crushing Stiles as I did so. I needed to work on my aim apparently.

"Hello?" Dianne's voice was one of those really warm ones. The motherly sort of voice that made you want to tell them anything and everything about your life and what was going on in it. It had been that way since I met her when I was eleven and it hadn't changed in the past half a decade or so.

"Hello, is this Mrs. Dianne Long?" Dori didn't even attempt to change her voice, except perhaps sounding far more formal than she usually did. It was one of those odd sorts of tones that you rarely hear from her and when you do you get confused as to why exactly she was speaking like that. Usually it was her mocking an adult…like one of our headteachers back in England. That hadn't gone over so well.

"Yes, who's asking?" You know that voice adult's get when they realise someone has their name? The defensive one as if they're waiting for bad news or a brand new scam to come and hit them like a bright red double decker bus? Yeah. That's the exact voice that Ben's mum used at that moment.

"This is 'Busty Blondes Sex Line' and it appears your son hasn't paid for 120 hours of which he's racked up £1200 to pay for." I elbowed Stiles next to me who had begun giggling like some sort of child. He was rather loud at that, and if he started laughing I'd start laughing and any sort of hopes for this prank would go immediately down the drain like Incy Wincey Spider.

A silence fell over the line and I nervously ran a hand through my hair, pulling at the knots that had collected there during the day. The silence was almost unbearable until it was finally broken… "Theodora…is that you?" I wasn't quite sure if it was amusement or disappointment in Dianne's voice.

"Uh-" It was for all intents and purposes like watching a car crash or a bear try to get through a closed glass door. Dori had been completely thrown of balance and everything was soon flipped around on her. I could see Scott wince from his place near her and Stiles looked equally as horrified. I was perhaps more apathetic to the situation, I doubted Mrs. Long was going to do anything to get us in trouble, but she'd certainly be curious as to why we were trying to pull the essential wool over her eyes.

"Don't lie to me. Just tell me what he did for you to try this." As I said before it was Mrs. Long and she was many things, but mean and punishing was not one of them. She'd sooner bake you a cake then yell at you. That wasn't to say that she wouldn't tell you where you stood if you did something wrong, but she wasn't like my mother or even Scott's. She didn't have the same presence and ability to carry her voice. Her way was through you not wanting to upset or disappoint her. But Scott and Stiles didn't know that of course.

"Right, sorry Mrs. L, maybe I should let Charlotte explain?" I would have in any other circumstance been completely opposed to the idea of doing that, I didn't want to get involved too much. But then I guess I was involved from the very start wasn't I? At least I knew Dianne well enough to talk to her without getting too worried that she might fly all the way out to California and skin me alive. I really instead should be worried about her killing Ben and asking me about the best way to hide the body.

"Is she there?" I got up off my bed for what must have been the millionth time in half an hour and made my way over to Dori knowing that I'd be passed the phone any second. I felt almost tired about the situation, but once this was over I could forget about what Ben said, I could forget what I did and maybe everything would be even easier than it was? Or maybe I was kidding myself, it'd be brought up at dinner parties or weddings. 'Remember that time Charlotte completely ignored Scott and Stiles for a week?!'

"Yes, here you go" I held the phone in my hand, it was almost instinct to put it straight to my ear, but it was on speaker phone and I managed to not do something as incredibly stupid as that. I had a feeling that this Gabriel-esque trickster style plan the boys had was slowly going down the drain. But at least I wasn't going to get murdered for it or something to a similar effect.

"Hi, Dianne…" I hadn't spoken to Ben's mother for at least 6 months due to the move, but I still found myself not wanting to disappoint or upset her. It was the same situation I was in with Stiles' father, except he was always around and could easily give me that look that told me to get my shit together.

"Are you going to tell me why you're trying to 'prank' Ben?" You know how Han Solo always says he feels like this is a bad idea? Or how every time someone sleeps with Sam Winchester you just know they're going to keel over the next day? It was one of those times, but the realisation that this wouldn't end well wasn't for me and the others…it was for Ben. Because I knew his mum and I knew his mum well enough to know that perhaps he'd be a tiny bit killed

"It's…it's kind of a long story, Mrs. L…" I sighed thinking about repeating this story for the second time in a few days. I didn't necessarily want to, but maybe sharing was healing? I mean was I overreacting? Was I being stupid over how much it affected me? It was reasonable to be sad and upset when your friend calls you annoying and clingy, right? It didn't seem unreasonable to me and least.

"I have the time, sweetheart." I felt like I was stuck in the room with meerkats or hyperactive puppy dogs with the way all three of them were twitching and moving about. It was one of those few times that I was apparently perfectly calm while everyone else was doing what I usually did and anxious waiting about.

"Okay…" I let out a heavy breath, wandering back over to the bed and plopping myself down heavily besides Stiles who rubbed a hand gently down my arm as if to comfort me. It was a nice gesture at least and I leaned my head against his shoulder as I began to speak. "I talked to Ben…because I was worried that my new friends, Scott and Stiles, didn't…" Longer fingers squeezed my own small ones, I focused on the image rather than what could feel rising to the surface again.

"That they didn't like me…or were ignoring me…" The shoulder underneath my head shifted slightly and I did my best to move with it and find my comfortable perch again. I felt like some sort of cat nuzzling and rubbing up against someone's shoulder like that. But then again maybe in a past life I was a cat? I certainly had some of the behavioural characteristics...but no. I wasn't a hunter. A predator. I was a creature of prey despite my surname. I was weak and I had shown it on multiple occasions and while I wanted to be strong, I was okay with being weak as long as I had friends and family as strong as I did. As long as I had people. Scott, Dori, Lydia, Allison, Danny…Stiles…All of them watching my back in their own way. It made life seem more bearable and less scary.

"And?" Maybe I was imagining the quiet shake of apprehension in Dianne's voice, or maybe she was terrified that Ben had done something truly serious. That he'd done something worthy of her disappointment and even her anger…and maybe he had. I'm not sure where on the scale this sort of thing would come. I had a hard enough time judging my own actions let alone others. But I knew that hell hath no fury like a mother scorned…and I was experiencing that with my own at the moment.

"He told me that maybe…maybe I was just being clingy and that…"Every time I recounted the story it felt like it changed just a tiny bit. I felt like I was trying to soften the blow…to make him seem better. Whether that was the friend in me or not I can't be sure. All I was really sure about was that Stiles made a wonderful headrest and helped me feel somewhat grounded. "Well that maybe I should leave them alone for a week because I could get somewhat annoying…and he hasn't spoken to me since…" He hadn't I knew at the time that 'I'll speak to you later' wasn't going to happen till much much later. It was Ben and sometimes I wondered if it was just him being his usual detached self or if he truly and honestly didn't want to speak to me. Maybe he knew he'd fucked up? That was a perfectly plausible situation. He might have been well aware how much of a penis he'd been.

"Right. Well…I think you know what I'm going to say." I didn't. I honestly didn't and that was the funny thing because most of my life people assumed that my academic achievements crossed over to my social. But they didn't. I was terrible at knowing people, I'd second guess myself and question what I thought and what I felt. It was a constant rollercoaster of indecision and swapping and changing. Sometimes it felt like I didn't trust myself, if I was being honest…maybe I didn't, maybe I was trying to protect myself by questioning myself, but it was honestly a pain in the backside.

"I'll go along with your little prank and I'll punish him myself. You'll have an apology in the next few hours, dear. He had no right to say that to you, friend or not and no son of mine is going to treat such a sweet friend like that." It was the case wasn't it. I was 'sweet' I wasn't cool like Dori or intimidating like Lydia. I was sweet. I was the girl who couldn't hurt someone if they tried and maybe that was the truth, but it was born from a deep dark place that I tried not to go too often. When you get hurt you become one of two things; cruel in an effort to protect oneself or gentle in an effort to protect others. It was one extreme or the other and nothing in between.

"Oh…Mrs. L you really don't have too…I wouldn't want him to-"I pulled away from where I was leaning against Stiles' side, sitting upright and running my free hand through my hair. I didn't want Ben to get in too much trouble. This whole thing was a great big bad idea created by the masters of great big bad ideas: The wonder twins.

"No, discussion, young lady. He's getting his dues and maybe it will help him think a little more about what he says this time, Mmm?" I doubted it. Ben was a person with no real filter and a lack of sensitivity…I doubted he meant to be mean or cruel and sometimes it was honestly a wonder we were friends with just how sensitive to things I seemed to be. Or maybe I wasn't quite as sensitive as I thought I was.

"Okay…"

"Ben will phone you later, sweetheart…I hope everything going okay for you out there" and then she hung up. I wondered if it was because she thought I'd begin arguing again or whether she just saw it as the end of our conversation. Either way there was something relieving about no longer being attached to that phone.

I sighed heavily (I seemed to be doing that a lot lately) and placed the phone back on its pedestal before flopping down on my bed.

"That went well." I scoffed at Dori's comment from where I was laid out on my bed, my feet dangled off the edge no-where near reaching the floor and my arms where laid underneath my head. I wonder what would happen when Ben did phone me. If he phoned me that is…I was terrified that he'd be angry at me, but I suppose he dug his own hole and I can't stop that…but then I didn't have to dog him in either.

"Yeah, if by well you mean it went horribly!" I closed my eyes and breathed in deeply through my nose, those two were going to start something I knew it. There was the sassy tone to Stiles voice that he took on when he was aggravated and there was the way the bed bounced because of his mini-temper tantrum.

"You mean horribly like your attempts to woo Lydia?" I couldn't see but I was certain Dori had a 'bitch please' type expression on her face and there was a 50/50 chance that she had thrown him the middle finger as well.

"No, I mean horribly like your face in the morning." I don't think it was that the two of them didn't get along because they did. They got along surprisingly well to the point that I sometimes felt defensive of my position as Sister and best friend. The issue was Lydia…and it was a thing they couldn't seem to avoid talking about. After all Stiles had been 'in love' with her for years and suddenly Dori comes in and has an immediate ability to sweep her off her feet or at least get closer to doing so than Stiles had ever done in his god knows how many years of Lydia hunting.

"Guys-" Scott was cut off. I felt bad for Scott really, we didn't get to hang out together alone as much as I'd like and when we were with others he often got talked over. My favourite thing about Scott besides his adorable (and sometimes annoying) habit of swooning over Allison, was his kindness. There was never a kinder, more moral guy than Scott McCall. You'd think the Sheriff's son would be, but Stiles was a little (or not so) menace.

"Oh? So you don't recall the failed attempt to leave her a love letter in her locker…or are you just blanking that one from your mind?" It was spiralling downhill I could hear that above everything else. There wasn't the typical underlying tone of humour in Dori's words. She was genuinely trying to get under Stiles' skin and I knew before anything else that it would work a treat….and it was working at getting under my skin as well.

"Oh my god….I swear I'm going to-" I cut him off.

"Shut up! Jesus Christ. No one cares about you two and your stupid fight over Lydia bloody Martin!" I was sat him, after shouting at the two of them, breathing heavily. My chest rising and falling at a faster rhythm than I had expected. They all looked at me with wide-eyes. I never shouted…I never even raised my voice. So why did that get under my skin so much? It made no sense and yet total sense all at the same time. "…i-im sorry…that was uncalled, I'm sorry" My voice was weaker now and I wanted to curl up in a corner and cry. I'd yelled at them and it was stupid and stupidly aggressive. I felt ashamed of myself. I felt guilty for shouting at Stiles the most. I knew it wasn't his fault.

"It's okay…you're right, we're arguing over something silly and it's not the time…" Stiles tried to pull me into a hug and at first I pushed away, hands lightly beating on his surprisingly broad shoulders like a five year old, until I let myself be crushed against his chest. Till I let myself be surrounded by the smell that was distinctly Stiles and the comfort of being close to someone. I hated that he was so easy to forgive me for outbursts. I hated that he didn't yell at me or tell me off. I hated that he treated me so well and far better than I sometimes deserved.

"Lydia is not silly" I nestled myself closer to Stiles at Dori's voice. How this little playful banter had come to this I wasn't sure, but I wasn't appreciating it. There was a part of me the little girl who hated yelling and angry arguments that was cowering in the corner of my mind, the only difference between this and when I fought with mum? I wasn't the one fighting. There was no reason for me to be stubborn and defiant. There was no force dragging some unknown strength out of me. So I sat there wrapped around Stiles like I was drowning in an ocean storm and he was the only rock. While Scott sat there awkwardly, probably imagining all the things he could be doing right now like kissing Allison.

"Shut up, Theo." There was a finality in Stiles' voice I hadn't heard before. It was like a father shutting down a small child who was having a fit…it didn't quite seem to fit with the person I knew Stiles to be. He was hyperactive, loud, and sarcastic, a bit of an arse…not an authority figure and certainly not someone who gave up on an argument once it was started. And yet that's exactly what he'd done.

I still had my arms wrapped firmly around him, my face hidden in his neck. I liked having a friend I could be so close with…but it made me feel odd at the same time. I wasn't quite sure what 'odd' meant just that it wasn't completely 100% comfortable and relaxed. There was an underlying anxiety that I wasn't sure where it came from. It was just there like a little devil on my shoulder whispering incoherent things in my ear. That didn't stop me from staying where I was however.

"Fine…I've got do homework so…if you need me I'll be down the hall…" I turned my head to watch Dori slump out of the room. They'd be fine with each other by tomorrow. I knew it. They knew it. It wasn't the first time they'd had a spat over Lydia, it was just the first time I'd gotten involved.

"I should really get going too, I'll see you guys at school…" It was rather quick for Scott to trip out of the room, I didn't blame him after a fight like that it would make anyone awkward and want to run off home to their own peace and quiet.

"You leaving?" My voice was muffled by the fabric of Stiles' T-shirt, but I didn't really mind I was comfortable and cosily warm. I didn't want to move.

"Not yet..."

A silence filled the air and not the usual comfortable, relaxed one that Stiles and I shared. Because I couldn't help, but over think everything. He'd been too quick to accept my outburst. Too quick every time to forgive me. I wanted to hit him over the head with a frying pan to knock some sense into him.

"Why are you so good to me? I don't deserve how well you treat me…I'm a crap friend…" Stiles pulled back, hands on my upper arms and craning his head slightly to look at me. He had that furrowed brow look. The one that said he didn't agree with me. The one I didn't like seeing on his usually smiley face, moles and all.

"No you're not." I shook my head at him, rolling my eyes and scoffing. I was a bad friend. I knew that. I was bad at this whole thing and I don't know when it got so complicated…but it did. Despite my obvious disagreement he kept talking. "If you don't remember you ask how we are each day, you cook me and dad dinner at least once a week, you gave me a drawing just because you wanted to…and you're always around to help us out..."Tenderness was not something explicitly associated with Stiles he was a bit of an arse and he was generally loud and somewhat in your face. But in that moment he spoke to me like I was a little kid and it wasn't annoying or upsetting, it was comforting.

"But I'm not…I run, remember?" For a girl who hated exercise and running, I ran away from my problems a great deal of the time. It was exceedingly ridiculous and would be enough to get an A in Finstock's class provided I actually put that running into practice. Which I wouldn't.

"You can run as many times as you'd like…because the point of you being a good friend is that you always come back and I'll always be waiting for you to come back…" I smiled, looking down at lap which was probably crushing his by now. Because Stiles had a point. I ran. I always ran, but I always came back and maybe that was more important than the fact I ran in the first place?

"And rugby tackle you to the ground?"

"If you have that ability…but I think you're a _little_ small, Lottie" And there was the main feature about our friendship that I loved. I could be the wallowing, broody mare I was and Stiles would somehow find a way to lighten the situation and make me laugh. Every. Single. Time.

"Shh…you're ruining the moment" I whispered, giving him a quicker hug before untangling our arms and legs so he could get up.

Stiles stretched arms above his head, bones crackling and popping and a heavy, but not unhappy sigh leaving his throat. "Yeah? Well I've got to go…I'll see you at school and for our 'date'... at around 7?" I nodded and watched him leave. I watched his jeep leave the front of the house from my window and then I collapsed on top of my bed.

"Yeah…our 'date'" Shit.


	12. Chapter 12

The next day, I woke up pretty much ready to hide away in bed. I had an essay due in in history, a presentation in Art (Which made no sense at all, why would you ever need to do a presentation in art of all lessons!?), and I had the 'date' to attend. I wasn't sure why it suddenly bothered me so much, it was just Stiles and I hanging out maybe eating some fries and pretending that we were doing something important. It wasn't as if the whole way my life worked was going to be shifted off balance. But somewhere in the pit of my stomach was a buzzy nervousness that I was so unused to when it came to my best friend.

I did, however, get up and out of my bed that morning and go through the now usual routine of being ignored by my mother or being glared down. I knew that mum's anger probably came from her caring about me and caring about Dori, but I still found it frustrating and I refused to concede defeat…even if I was doubting that I was right. I knew I was probably in the wrong. But I just couldn't get over some sort of stubborn pride and apologise, every time I tried it was like a rock had gotten lodged in my throat.

Over that last week or so, however, I'd learnt to just push down whatever guilt I had and go about my day. It was stupid, prideful, and selfish, but I couldn't seem to get over it just yet.-unlike how I had forgiven Ben, who had called me and apologised for being an insensitive twat or something along those lines at least.

School that day was one of those days, that apart from all the vast amounts of work I ended up doing and the large amount of teasing I received from Dori about Stiles, nothing really happened. It was pretty much not noteworthy at all and incredibly tiring. I ended up at home wondering if I'd have the energy to spend even a minute with Stiles…which is why I found myself in my favourite position, laying across my bed like a heap of teenager staring at my ceiling, which I should probably put important stuff on since I stare at it enough.

"You know you've got about an hour before your date gets here, right?" I didn't even jump at Dori's sudden voice, which was unusual because I usually jumped at every little thing, which was something my friends took full advantage of. There has been hardly a day where I haven't been scared to death by something. I've died more than Dean and Sam Winchester combined.

"Nghh…" I made an unintelligible sound that probably indicated some sort of deep fear and loathing about the whole situation-or I just sounded like an Ewok.

"Don't tell me you've got cold feet?" Dori was still completely convinced that I was going on a genuine date with the Stiles Stilinski and I supposed I could tell her it was all a lie…but she'd definitely drag me into coming with her instead, and I wasn't about to be forced through that sort of hell. I was a tolerant woman, but not that tolerant.

I felt a hand grasp around my wrist surprisingly gently "C'mon, upsy daisy…" I was tugged into a sitting position much like a ragdoll feeling all sorts of floppy, Dori leaning over me with a look that was scarily similar to Lydia's own expression when she was about to do something that I wasn't going to be happy about. Unfortunately for , being a date, but being in fact a ploy to get me away from Allison, Scott, Lydia, and Jackass' date.

"Up. We're getting you ready."

"Wha-" It appeared I was in no position to interrupt as I was shuffled across the floor and handed some form of fabric. "Here, get into this and sit down and let me see if I've learnt anything from Lydia." I was ordered about by what had become a drill sergeant instead of my step-sister. The garment appeared to be another dress and as I had learnt from the first time I wore a dress bad things happened when I did, but I was in no place to refuse and I didn't really have the energy to either.

I was apparently more focused on the impending awkwardness that I would have to deal with for a few hours than the aftermath when they found out it wasn't a real date. Not that I'd ever been on a real date; this was probably the closest I'd ever been to one and I had no idea why that made me so anxious. It wasn't as if I was expected to kiss him or anything? It wasn't even a real date for Pete's sake!

"Sit down." I had finished getting into the dress, which was oddly comfortable, and sat in my desk chair. Dori stood before me, an army of what appeared to be make-up bags and hair products littering my desk. Now I was in fact starting to get a tad more nervous about Dori coming near me with anything pointy, especially near my eyes…but I couldn't tell her to bugger off and really this was a trust exercise right? It was just establishing that I could trust her not to make me even blinder than I already was…and it was proven in the twitching of my eyelids that I didn't trust her near my eyes.

"There, all done." Dori finally declared. I honestly was happy that I wasn't stuck in my stained tracksuit bottoms and raggedy t-shirt, but it was just so odd pretending that I was going on an actual date when I wasn't.

"You're way too into this…" I walked over to a folded pile on my bed, Stiles' hoodie, and pulled it over the top of my clothes. It was surprisingly large on me, the sleeves more than covered my hands, it was also extremely comfortable and as creepy as it sounded it smelled like my Best Friend, which was quickly becoming a comfort to me.

"Well my little baby's growing up…and I've been shipping this since day one, can you blame me?" She cooed at me. It was a well-known fact that Dori was waiting for the day I started getting some sort of love life and most likely she'd be pissed at me for lying about the real situation of this evening. But I could probably bribe her back from the brink if I needed to.

"Tell me there isn't fanfiction?"

"I would…but then I'd be lying…" Dori grinned unapologetically. I probably should have been surprised but I wasn't, I just shook my head, put my shoes on, and grabbed my bag as a loud knock rang out through the house. Stiles was here, Dori was going to start bouncing off the walls and I suddenly felt like I was in someone else's' skin.

"Dori?" She grew a mischievous, evil little smirk before dashing out of my room. "Dori!" I followed after her, but by the time I reached the top of the stairs the door was wide open and an uncomfortable looking Stiles was standing in front of my sister. I waited there at the top of the stairs listening.

"Hey, Stilinski" Dori was leaning one shoulder against the door frame and I was slightly envious of how cool she looked pretty much all the time compared to myself. I was always tripping up over things and over my words, I was a mess both literally and figuratively. And yet she also looked incredibly intimidating at that moment as she stared down the boy.

"Uh, hi Theo…is um, is Lottie here?" A nervous hand came up to his neck, it wasn't because of Dori I knew that. They talked when they had the time and they usually got along pretty well. In fact if they had enough time I'm sure they'd be pretty damn close…which I was slightly worried about for the main reason that I was worried that I'd be demoted from the new best friend…which was stupid and ridiculous, but the thought was still there in the back of my mind like an annoying little whisper.

"Nope, you just missed her. She ran away to join the circus." A pregnant pause took over the lower levels of the house and I was very nearly going to go down there…I was actually surprised they had yet to notice me, I was just standing here. "I'm joking, she's here…but I need to talk to you first."

"Oookay…" It was drawn out, filled with confusion and had even me stopping in my non-existent tracks. What on earth could Dori have to talk about? Global warming? World Domination? The latest Disney movie she hates?

"If you hurt her, I will break your legs." I nearly took a step back and tripped over my own feet, my eyes widening. I wasn't sure whether to laugh or be horrified. After a beat of terrified silence on Stiles part, she started laughing, but as soon the boy started to awkwardly chuckle, she sharply added, "But, no. I'm serious. I have a cricket bat and an excellent swing."

I rushed down the stairs and ushered Stiles out the door before anymore words could be said or he even had a chance to make sense of what was going on. "Right, move it, move it! Goodbye Dori." It was probably a fairly humorous sight a small 5ft 2 girl trying to move a much taller Lacrosse playing nerd out of her house and towards a baby blue jeep that had seen better days.

"Be safe! Use Protection! Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Dori called behind the two of us as we, or should I say I, jumped into the jeep quickly, my cheeks flushed, and my breath laboured. I was somewhat mortified and had it been directed at anyone else I'd probably have laughed, but it wasn't so funny when it was directed at you…

"Oh God…I am so sorry…she still thinks this is an actual date…" My head collided with the window and I closed my eyes sighing out the words tiredly. This was okay. It was okay…we were just going to hang out, eat curly fries and probably act like idiots. Right?

"Oh…right…um, it's okay…I mean she might kill me, but it's okay." I chuckled as he turned the ignition and started the car, it was a stop for curly fries first and we all knew the place to get them. "So, uh, you look…you look nice" I opened one eye, he was looking at me out the corner of his eye and his tongue was wetting his lip nervously. It was like watching Patrick Swayze in Dirty Dancing being all awkward with Baby…except this was Stiles and it was me.

"'Nice'?" I repeated. It wasn't exactly the best descriptor in the whole entire dictionary of descriptors, especially as Stiles tended to one up me constantly in the looks department…I had no difficulty admitting that the majority of my friends were attractive, cute, or downright gorgeous. But I guess nice was something, right?

"Uh…yeah? Is that my hoodie?" I pulled the grey fabric tighter around me and shifted awkwardly in my seat. This was the worst conversation we'd ever held, there was this constant underlying tension like when Han and Leia spent ages arguing…except we were supposed to be easy going and laidback.

"Um…yes, my other one's in the wash and well this one's comfortable and it was there so…" I found myself making excuses for why I was wearing the hoodie he gifted me. Perhaps it was the sudden realisation that that wasn't a boy/girl friend thing to do and more of a couple thing or perhaps it was just the realisation that Dori was sat at home thinking that I was snogging my best friend's face off.

"…Right…" I watched as Stiles' fingers tapped nervously against the steering wheel. It was already rather dark out and the light was only coming from the street lamps as we passed under them. It was like a scene out of a movie, except I had no script to rely on and no idea what was happening.

"So…um, how's….how's your dad?" I shuffled my hands, which were covered by the long sleeves of the hoodie, and tried to keep my eyes on the road or the trees as they passed rather than focusing on the undue and stupid tension in the car. Of all the times for us to start acting funny it had to be now…I was just hoping it would slowly disappear into the abyss.

"Uh, he's…he's good, he told me to tell you hi…"

"Good…good…" I coughed, scratching the back of my neck and running my fingers through my hair. I couldn't wait for us to get food, I'd finally be able to preoccupy myself with something else by stuffing my face. Which was sounding like a nice and clear plan at that moment! It was a better plan than many of the Doctor's at least.

When the old diner on the outskirts of town came into view, with its peeling red paint and the worn car park tarmac, I was relieved. I was glad because it gave me something more normal. We had been here before and it was something that was always relaxed, so why should it be different this time? We did, however end up in an argument over who was paying, and considering the total usually racked up to a good $40 I wasn't just going to let Stiles pay for it all. We were standing just outside his jeep when I pulled out my purse that for once had some form of money in, which reminded me I still needed to ask the Sheriff about a job.

"I told you I'm pay-hey, who's this?" A picture had fluttered to the ground from my purse as I attempted to get some money out. Stiles bent down to pick the small photograph up and I finally got a good look at what it was…I'd completely forgotten I'd had it in my purse at all...

The picture in his hands depicted me and a taller, red haired girl with a sweet and elegant beauty to her. It was a simple sort of pretty, the type that made you wonder if they were just born lucky or if their parents were just as pretty. We were both smiling at the camera as if we'd heard the funniest story and honestly we probably had. It had been taken a few months before I'd moved…we'd been in the centre of town for cup of coffee and probably far too much cake. It was a day I was most fond of…and I missed her whether I talked about her or not.

"Lauren...she's a friend back in England...I guess I don't talk about her much do I?" we were walking now, the photograph having been handed back to me, our intended destination a mountain of fast food.

"Tell me about her...?" He bumped his shoulder into mine, a friendly gesture that had me smiling despite the previous awkward tension we'd been sharing. Stiles was just like that…friendly no matter the situation. A real peach as they say on TV.

"…She was a bit of a mother hen I guess. I remember cutting my knee and she was about ready to take me to hospital, car or no. She's one of those friends that always make you feel loved and wanted…not forgotten in a sea of faces, y'know?" Stiles held open the old worn door to diner for me and I stepped into the warmth. The diner was always warm and comforting, the staff friendly and approachable. It was a nice place…unfortunately not a lot of people came here.

"Like you then…" I couldn't help the cynical laugh that left my throat. There was something ironically funny about that reply…as if I was like Lauren. Lauren was better than me and I knew it and I was glad for it. We needed more friends like Lauren in the world.

"No…Lauren wouldn't run away when things get scary…she'd stick around. Y'know she's a year older than me, I used to cry when she'd move up to a new school and I was left behind…and yet this move was easy…maybe it was because I was the one leaving and not the other way around…" I felt bad. Bad for not crying…for not talking to her. I felt like I'd neglected her and it wasn't something I wanted, but it wasn't something I knew how to do. I was a person easily distracted and terrified the majority of the time. What if she didn't want to be my friend anymore? I didn't want to bother her…

"She sounds like quite the friend…" I fiddled with the strap of my bag nervously as Stiles stood just behind me. The mood had become quite sullen and I knew that it would go somewhere I didn't want it to go if we kept talking.

"She is…anyway, enough of that, it'll start getting sad if I keep going…"

"You want your usual milkshake?" Stiles moved in front of me to the counter turning his eyes back to look at me, a half smile comforting me in a way that some people have never been able to do. He was good at that. So was Scott come to think of it…they'd become quite a large part of my life here in America and I was glad that they had

"You know me so well..." I sighed, it was good. Good to be comfortable in our friendship, fake date or not. It was just nice. Nice to talk to him. Nice to know him…nice to see him. It was just nice.

"Duh, of course I do, Lottie" Stiles scoffed ordering our mountain of food. We waited…at first patiently, but I soon found myself poking him and him poking me and we must have looked like idiots. Luckily everyone knew us there.

"Kids…" We looked up at the counter, Miss May was standing behind a mountain of fast food, a slight smile on her face and we quickly rushed forward to pile to food in our arms and make our way back to the jeep calling a thank you over our shoulders as we moved. It was probably similar to C3PO's very ridged walk across sand dunes and what not…except I could barely see over the top of all the boxes and bags in my arms, and I was only carrying half of the food! At least we wouldn't starve while we waited out the night I suppose.

We clambered into the front seats and tried to figure out what was whose. "This is yours" Stiles tried to hand me some sort of tin foil wrapped food that I was pretty sure wasn't mine and I shoved it back in his hands, the food on my lap warming me and the lights from the car park creating a relaxed atmosphere. I knew I'd be smelling like fast food for a good day or so, but it was tasty and it was our thing.

"No, that's yours I swear!" He scoffed.

"How would you know? I ordered it!" He shoved the food back and I sighed shaking my head at the idiot. He was wrong. There was no way that was mine. I shoved it in his lap and stole my Milkshake from his hands in the process.

"We always order the same bloody thing, Stiles!" I looked over at him, rolling my eyes and my hands pushing my sleeves further up my arms to my elbows as I opened a straw and took a sip of my drink.

"Just hush up and eat, Lottie… _women…_ " I threw a curly fry at his face, it landed precariously on the top of his head before landing in his own pile.

"Men." I muttered under my breath, a smirk rising to my lips at his aghast expression. Two could play at that game, if he wanted to do this I'd give what I got.

"Lotties."

"Stiles'." I snarked back. I had nowhere near as much banter ability as Stiles, but goddamn it if I wouldn't try. Every time we got into this sort of situation it ended pretty much the same, with me feeling a vast amount of affection for my friend and also wanting to hit him round the head.

"Brits"

"Ameri-…You're an idiot..." I stopped myself short, turning to him properly in my seat, my brow furrowed and my mouth quirked in a disbelieving smile. He was truly something else wasn't he?

"Yeah, but I'm your idiot…" He gave me a goofy smile, the one that made you want to laugh and grin... I turned away scratching the back of my neck hoping the heat in my face would cool down quickly. God, he was such an idiot….and so was I…I guess that's why we got along.

"Twit." A pregnant pause fell over us until all at once the two of us burst out laughing, frightening some kids who were passing the jeep. Somehow we demolished the food after that surprisingly quickly, to the point that I kind of feared that I'd killed my digestive system. But it was worth it, it was times like that that I understood why Dean Winchester and Ron Weasley ate food so fast, because it was damn delicious.

"Do you mind if I turn the radio on?" He couldn't speak due to the last remaining fries in his mouth, but gestured towards the radio as he started the engine and we started moving out of the parking lot and finally onto the road where we'd probably be driving around all night until returning back home to our beds.

The moment the radio turned on I felt myself melting into a puddle. Apparently the radio stations were working against us this evening…that or our friends were having a whale of a time requesting terribly cheesy songs from High School Musical.

_'This could be the..._

_Start of somethin' new_

_It feels so right_

_To be here with you, o-'_ Stiles reached out flipping the dial again hoping for a different radio station that was more bearable while I sat, staring out the window and taping my hands against my lap uncomfortable.

_'You come on like a dream, peaches and cream,_

_Lips like strawberry wine._

_You're sixteen, you're beautiful and you're mi-'_ I reached out at the same time as Stiles and we fumbled over the dial trying to change it, before huffing back in our seats…what was with all the radio stations this evening. Did they want to hurt me? This wasn't a real date, love songs were not necessary! In fact love songs made everything more awkward even real dates and weddings…who invented the first love song? Because I would like to build a time machine and hit him over the head.

_'Some things are meant to be,_

_Take my hand, take my whole life too,_

_For I can't help falling in love with you,'_

"Oh my god." Stiles exclaimed turning the radio off completely, plunging us into silence.

The streets lamps were the only thing illuminating the jeep, the tap of his fingers against the steering wheel and the tires against the tarmac were the only sounds, and I found myself relaxing gently into the worn seat. This was lovely, driving around with no idea of where you're going and no pressure to do anything, but sit there and watch the dark trees pass by in the night. I was always the one driving Dori around so I never really got a chance to just enjoy the ride, I was always too busy making sure I didn't kill us or somebody else.

I closed my eyes letting the lights flash behind my eyelids and the rumble of the engine lull me to a peaceful state. This jeep sometimes felt more like home than my own at the moment…I really did need to sort things out with mum. I wanted to, it just never seemed to happen. I knew it was mostly because I was being some sort of moody teenager.

"Hey, don't fall asleep on me, sleeping beauty" A hand startled me from my drowsy ponderings as it rested on my shoulder pulling me back. It was incredibly disorientating and I found myself blearily looking at Stiles…I wasn't tired, but apparently that didn't stop me from relaxing too far to the other end of the awake and asleep scale.

"Wha-?" I rubbed at my eyes underneath my glasses knocking them off centre, Stiles glanced at me chuckling before reaching a hand out to correct their placement. It felt kind of like a parent dealing with a five year old at that moment and although he was an idiot he was a caring one at least. Waking up like that, however, felt like what I imagine Han Solo felt like when he got out of the carbonite. Except less sickly…

"You were napping." I sat up straighter, shaking the fog out of my head and running a hand through my hair. I still felt calm and happy, and if I'm honest with you even though I knew I'd be getting a lot of teasing for this 'date', I wouldn't have changed a thing. It was probably a moment I'd never forget and bring up at parties and then get told I'm boring…but you get the picture, it was a fond moment and I can't imagine a world where it had never happened.

"No I wasn't, I was just enjoying the moment…"

"Oh? So that's why you didn't respond to me the first time?" He was a smartass and very obviously amused by my instance that I had not in fact gone to sleep if the smirk on his face was anything to go by. Did I mention that different expressions make his moles move? Because they do…and it's actually really entertaining to watch when you're half asleep.

"Yeah…"I trailed off as the jeep began to make a rumbling and spluttering sound like something out of a cartoon or an old comedy… "Stiles…why is she making that noise?" I had this horrible vision of us going up in flames because his jeep decided to explode…which was reinforced by the smell of burning petrol and the smoke that was leaking out of the bonnet…yeah, I wasn't so relaxed anymore.

"Uh…oh that's…that's not good…" The car was practically kangaroo jumping down the road, stopping, spluttering, and starting all in the space of a few minutes. Secondly we were in the middle of nowhere, quite literally…we'd driven a ways out of town into the more forest and less house orientated area, by which I mean there weren't any houses…at all…ever. Thirdly apparently a signal was a non-existent thing in this part of Beacon Hills, if it was still Beacon Hills, and we were undoubtedly stranded unless Stiles had a hidden talent for fixing cars.

"Maybe we should pull over?" I was suggesting it for the main fact that we didn't need a lorry barrelling down the road and crashing into us…we had enough issues without a car crash being added to them. It was times like that I wish we had a radio like cop cars have…

"Right." Stiles pulled off into a little layby besides a ditch and a large crop of trees. He swung himself out of the jeep and I followed, wrapping my arms around myself to combat both the cold and the creeping fear that had started up my spine. It was quite literally turning into something out of a horror movie and bloody hell was I too young and unaccomplished to die just yet…

I glanced around at the dark trees and seemingly empty road as Stiles opened the back of the jeep searching for god knows what.

"Here hold this" A large torch was slapped into my hand and I fumbled with it to turn it on, as he pulled out a toolbox and rather worryingly a baseball bat…I really didn't like the idea that we'd need to use that. I wasn't much fond of dying or crying…or fights or anything that was likely in this sort of situation. I'd never been stranded in the woods before…I guess I should be grateful that I've at least got Stiles rather than being on my own with a killer out there. _Oh God…_

"Stiles…what if we die out here?! I mean the jeep has broken down, I have no signal, and there's something killing people still on the loose… I'm going to die…I'm too young to die! I haven't even had my first boyfriend! I haven't even eaten all the ice-cream I want to! I'm so unfulfilled! I refuse to die like th-"A hand smooshed my cheeks together, effectively shutting me up as Stiles bent down to my level staring me in the eye. He proceeded to talk very slowly and very seriously while jerking my head about slightly, probably to further his point.

"You're not going to die. You know why?" I shook my head, the hand still smooshing my face together uncomfortable and rather comically for whatever serial killer lurked about in the woods. "Because I won't let you, okay? I've got a trusty bat and if anything does happen, which it won't, I'll protect you, okay?" I believed him. Despite the fact that I myself probably wouldn't have that sort of conviction, I believed that if someone or something tried to kill me or eat me alive Stiles would put himself between me and it. It was unusual to find someone who would see my ramblings as more than just silly worries. It was actually worrying how serious he was taking the chance of death…as if he knew something that I didn't…or maybe I was looking far too deeply into these things?

"Wha wiv our pal fragjile assk?" My words came out practically illegible thanks to the hand still grasping at my face. But he managed to somehow decipher that I was asking 'What with your pale fragile ass?' I was pretty sure most people wouldn't have been able to figure that out…

"Yes." A short silence fell over the two of us as I studied his face, serious brown eyes, a furrowed brow, scattered moles, and pursed lips greeted me. It wasn't long before the hand released my cheeks and Stiles stretched up back to his full height.

"O-okay…can we just try and fix the jeep quick please? It's really cold and creepy out here…" We walked around to the front of the jeep, and as Stiles lifted the hood smoke and steam came rushing out. Not a good sign I'd venture to guess…I was pretty sure it was a very bad sign…

"Uh…good news is it's not the fan belt or the spark plugs…bad news…I have no idea what's wrong and no idea about cars…" The bonnet was slammed shut and I was still latching onto the torch and worrying over all sorts of horror movie scenarios including Alien, even if it seemed unlikely.

"So…what?" I cursed Dori's decision to force me into a dress in that moment, as a gust of wind decided to freeze my legs into icicles. I was going to turn into a German soldier during the Russian winter soon…frozen, dead, and far from home. What a horrid thought.

"We wait it out…c'mon get back in the car…hopefully someone'll find us in the morning…" I was ushered back into the jeep and despite being now inside out of the wind it wasn't any warmer and I'd drunk all my milkshake…and essentially the evening was going rapidly downhill, but the company wasn't bad.

"My mum is going to be so pissed…she might actually kill me this time…" Actually I was pretty certain she'd kill me and she'd kill me in whatever horrendous way she could imagine, meanwhile Norman would be terrified and cooking dinner and Dori would be making heart eyes at Lydia…

"So is my dad…" I actually didn't want to imagine what the Sheriff would do to both of us if he found out we were in the middle of nowhere with a killer running around. Actually I really hope he doesn't ever find out…like ever. Ever. I'd feel terrible for disappointing him or worrying him, let alone the sort of dressing down we'd receive.

"Oh god…we're going to get hell at school aren't we…?" I felt like banging my head against a window. All sorts of jokes can be made if we were in a car together over night…let alone the fact we were supposed to be on a date together. The whole school would be filled with gossip by the end of tomorrow, I was sure of it. I was exhausted…I'd had a great evening up until death seemed to knock on the jeep window and I was probably going to look a mess in the morning. The cold, impending doom from my mother, and the lurking evils outside the jeep were weighing on my already small energy reserves.

"You mean about car sex jokes and the fact we didn't return to our homes? Yeah…yeah we are…"Stiles sighed throwing his head back against the seat and looking towards me with a look that perfectly described the way I was feeling at that moment.

"I hate my life…" We sat there for a moment just looking at each other, not talking. I had lifted my legs up to rest them in his lap, although my legs only just reached the centre of it, my head against the window and my body about ready to fall asleep when he spoke up again.

"Go lie on the backseat, it's more comfortable." The backseat did look lovely at that moment, all smooth fabric and no jutting pieces of metal in my back…but it wouldn't feel right knowing Stiles would probably be uncomfortable.

"Where are you going to sleep?" While the jeep was a tall car, it wasn't a big one and it certainly wasn't built for you to sleep in. It was more of a 'let me wade through mud' type of car.

"I'll sleep on the floor." He shrugged as if that was the easiest of things to suggest, the floor space in the back was in fact rather tiny and Stiles was rather tall and despite appearances not as lanky as he seemed. It couldn't possibly be comfortable.

"You sure, Batman?" I placed a hand on the shoulder of my seat getting ready to jump over into the back, but I wanted to be sure one last time before I took the comfiest seat in the house. He after all had been driving all night, had bought my food, and had dealt with Dori threatening him at our door.

"Yeah, go on, Lottie" We had eventually settled into the back. Me on the seats Stiles'-I mean my hoodie-bunched up underneath my head, while Stiles had his lacrosse gear as a pillow below me on the floor. I reached out a hand to grab his, twisting the fingers with my own.

"Night, Stiles" The jeep was dark, but I could still see some of the features of his face, from the delicate slope of his cheekbones to the exhaustion in his honey coloured eyes. There was the distant sound of leaves rustling in the wind and despite the cold it was rather relaxing on those old seats.

"Sweet Dreams, Lottie" I fell asleep that night on the seats above my best friend, holding his hand like some sort of cheesy movie…but, to be honest, I didn't care.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has come out early on Thursday rather than Saturday because i'm away, it should return to every Saturday after this week, guys! :)

A hard rapping on a window brought me out of my slumber, and I soon sobered up from my sleep at the realisation that at some point in the night I had slipped from the seats to cuddle closer to Stiles. Despite the gap being incredibly tiny, somehow I'd managed it…and I felt a wave of embarrassment come crushing down on me. Yes, it was incredibly comfortable to be lying there, legs tangled with Stiles', head tucked into the crook of his neck, but it was incredibly awkward as well and I pulled myself up and away. I blinked at the harsh sunlight that filtered through the windows only to see the Sheriff with arms crossed peering into the jeep. _Uh oh…_

" _Stiles!_ " I hissed at him from my place beside him on the floor. There was no way I was dealing with the Sheriff on my own-I wasn't suicidal. Although I had a feeling more anger would be directed at Stiles then at me; after all he's the reason we were in the jeep in the middle of nowhere in the first place. Not that I wanted him to get in trouble, it wasn't as if anyone died and really it's not his fault that his jeep broke down. Unfortunately it wasn't my place to argue with Mr. Stilinski…especially when Stiles and I probably worried him sick.

"Mmmm…." The boy merely let out of mumbling noise that sounded far too happy for your average dream and had me rolling my eyes. Of course of all the times he could be a complete teenage boy and have a sex dream, it had to be while we were stuck in a cold jeep in the middle of a road surrounded by forest. But considering the topic of apparently his conversation with Scott the other day about dreams it was highly predictable…I was going to start carrying around a bucket of ice water.

" _Stiles!_ Wake up!" I could feel the Sheriff's eyes on my back, the uncomfortable prickling sensation that comes with being stared down by an authority figure. I had hoped it would be Norman or someone equally as harmless who found us in the morning.

"Ngh…" Fed up with Stiles' inability to wake up, I balled my fist and hit him in the shoulder as hard as I could, which seemed to hurt my fist more than it hurt him. He started awake, sitting right up and causing me to fall back against the edge of the seats. "Wha-?!" He scowled at me, half awake, raising an eyebrow in question.

"Look." I pointed to the window, where Sheriff Stilinski still stood, arms folded heavily across his chest, a frown set across his features, and although I couldn't see I would put money on the fact his foot was tapping against the tarmac impatiently.

"Oh…shit." I would have laughed at the way the blood drained from his face and the terrified expression, had I not been facing the exact same fate that he was. We were both a complete mess, tired, and had been missing overnight. We were bound to get yelled at by both our sets of parents, then our friends, and then the school would decide it was a funny tale to tell and we'd have some sort of Mean Girls situation going on. I really didn't want to go to school…it was probably already second lesson if not third and all the attention would be on some silly little rumours that Dori probably started just to annoy the living daylights out of me.

"Yeah…" Stiles pulled himself up and swung into the front of the jeep opening the door and I watched as John practically pulled him out by the collar of his shirt and I reluctantly followed the two of them out into the sun.

"What were you two thinking?! You should have called! I was worried sick!" I imagine that this was what it would be like if I had my dad around to scold me. I felt terrible for worrying the Sheriff, but I didn't see how we could do anything more than what we did. It wasn't as if we could easily walk back to town with a killer on the loose.

"Dad…we had no signal and the Jeep broke down. What were we supposed to do? Make smoke signals with the engine?" Always with the snarky responses. I found myself stifling a laugh at the image of us trying to create smoke signals over a burning engine, while I complained that it was all Stiles' fault and vice versa. I was glad we hadn't done that, I'm sure smoke inhalation was something I didn't want to experience.

The Sheriff sighed "Look...it's not me you have to be worried about…it's your mother, Charlotte, she's a very angry woman right now. I'm going to take the two of you to Charlotte's and then I'm going to do my job. C'mon get in the car." Mr. Stilinski put a hand on our shoulders and pushed us towards his patrol car, sitting us in the back. It was awkward and quiet and it reminded me of the other night and the way I had found myself staring at trees more intently than I had ever in my entire life. It wasn't as if they were particular interesting as things go, I'd have much rather been having a nice conversation with the two Stilinski's rather than distracting myself…alas, that wasn't what was going to happen. I knew it wasn't.

It was, perhaps, the longest car journey I'd ever had in my whole existence. However, I would have gladly stayed in that awkward silence than walked into my own home. As we pulled up in front of my house, I could see my mum at the living room window and watched as she left it, probably to make her way to the front door. She looked as if she might just kill somebody for the first time in her 46 years of life.

Waiting for the Sheriff to let us out of the car was like waiting for my death, walking up my pathway reminded me of a funeral or the walk to the chopping block, and I was more than certain that had the world had a backing track the funeral march would be playing loudly in my ears rather than the sound of Stiles' footsteps. I had figured that Stiles would go mostly unnoticed by my mother, that it would in fact be a case of me having been in the wrong again in her eyes. Except that didn't seem to be the case.

The moment we entered the house, my mother's whole attention was focused on Stiles rather than myself. It was like a hawk with its eyes only on one thing and one thing alone.

"You're the reason my baby was out in the middle of the night with a killer on the loose!?" I tried to remain calm as she started yelling at Stiles. I knew she was doing this because she cared about me, but it wasn't his fault. He looked undeniably intimidated, despite being a good 10 inches taller than her, and yet there was that look in his eyes that said he agreed with her as he slumped his shoulders and just listened, not talking back.

"Mum-" I moved forward to calm her down. This was the first proper interaction we'd had in days and yes I was angry, but I didn't want this to escalate…or really what I didn't want was Stiles to see how fucked up everything was between me and her and I really didn't want him to blame himself. This side of mum was supposed to be private. It wasn't supposed to be seen by anyone but me.

"She could have been hurt and it would have been your fault!" She was practically screaming at him and he just stood there, letting her. Letting her get closer and yell more. I wanted her to yell at me, not him. I was the one she was supposed to be angry at, not Stiles, never Stiles.

"Mum. Mum, Stop! It's nobody's fault! The car broke down!" I wanted this argument, this thing to be rational. I didn't want another screaming match, the ones where I storm off and refuse to acknowledge my own mother. It's why I stood between them, trying to turn her attention away from him.

"It's his fault." She sounded so sure. Like she thought Stiles had caused the jeep to break down conveniently where there was no signal out in the middle of nowhere…but then I guess she didn't know him. She didn't know how harmless the boy was and how very very unlikely it was that he tried to do a Benny and get me killed-after all this wasn't The Mummy. Although my mummy apparently didn't understand that.

"Mum. Please, leave him alone…it's not his fault…" I was starting to think that anything I said was useless. She was angry and until she wasn't she'd probably not be persuaded away from the opinion she'd formed. She wasn't even looking at me anymore as I spoke, but instead over my shoulder at Stiles…if looks could kill I wouldn't have a best friend anymore.

"Get out." I took a step forward, she was talking Stiles and I could feel him begin to walk backwards. He hadn't said a word the whole time and it was incredibly uncomfortable and incredibly upsetting to know that he wasn't standing up for himself because he believed her to be right.

"If Stiles leaves, I'm leaving too." It didn't matter that I hadn't been home in nearly 24 hours because I wasn't just going to let Stiles leave and wallow in guilt…and I certainly wasn't going to stick around to get my arse handed to me by my own mother. It was about time I did the adult thing and walked away from a situation calmly rather than screaming or running. I wanted to grow up…and maybe this was a chance to start that.

"No, you're not." She declared.

I scoffed lightly, taking a step back. Mum had her arms folded across her chest, her weight leaning against one hip, and her brown eyes were ten times darker then they usually were at the realisation that I was defying her. I figured over the last few weeks she would have gotten used to it….but apparently not.

"Yes I am! You can't just yell at my best friend and expect me to be okay with it! I'll be back later when you've cooled down…if you've cooled down. C'mon Stiles…" I slipped a hand into his and began pulling him back out the house, grabbing my keys off the side as I went.

There was no use reasoning with her and I didn't want to start yelling again, and I certainly didn't want Stiles to keep that guilty look on his face. Getting us out of there was the best option I had...and I was determined to make the rest of our day good and happy because God knows there's no way we're going to school after that.

Normally I'd balk at the idea of skipping school; breaking rules was just not my thing and I guess that was somewhat boring of me, but I just didn't like it. However, I don't think Stiles or I were in the mood to go and deal with that lot today…at least I wasn't.

I ushered Stiles into the old Mondeo and as per usual the doors creaked and I thought it might die from a simple tap. I was going to take us to Stiles'-there was nowhere else we could really go and we didn't need a cop seeing us skiving school. Turning the key in the ignition, I started the car and backed out of my driveway and onto the road.

"Look, Stiles…she's just angry, she's not….it's not your fault." I glanced at him out the corner of my eye. It was odd driving Stiles instead of the other way around, but by now his jeep will have been taken to a garage somewhere and I was the one with an available car. He was slumped down in the seat, rubbing a hand down his face. It was the most defeated I'd ever seen him. Usually I was the one with the problems and he was the one who was doing alright.

"No…she's right…what if you had gotten hurt? I said I'd look after you, but I put you in that position in the first place…" My hands tightened around the wheel. There was something so utterly terrifying about Stiles not being happy. Perhaps it was because he was always the rock that was steady no matter what was going on…it was like everything had been turned upside down. I found myself cursing my mother for not yelling at me instead.

"But I didn't. Nothing happen. C'mon…smile…" I reached out a hand, pushing against his shoulders and taking my eyes momentarily off the road to smile at him. He didn't smile back, only turned his eyes to the houses outside the window as I drove. It was like talking to a brick wall…unmoving and silent. It was unnerving to see him that way.

"Stiles I had fun last night and I would do it again rather than going to some bloody hang out with Jackson, okay? So please stop feeling guilty…" The road was littered with potholes and it felt like some odd metaphor for my life that Gandhi or Yoda would spout out. The silence was beginning to grate on my nerves.

"We're going to go into your house. We're going to bake a cake…and we are going to eat that cake, do you understand?" I announced, taking charge. I pulled up outside the Stilinski house and stopped the car completely, turning to him.

"Wha-?" He finally looked at me and seemed exceedingly confused as if I had just spouted out some nonsensical bullshit about fairies and goblins, maybe even an Ent or two.

"Good!" I ignored his confusion, jumping out of the car and making my way to his front door. Stiles didn't need to understand, he just need to do what I said until he was smiling again and then he could question me all he liked, for however long he needed.

I let him stumble his way after me and fumble with the lock to his front door, I doubt being confused on top of upset was helping him, but it'd hopefully be sorted soon if I had anything to do with it.

"What are we doing?"

I walked past him into the house and went straight for the kitchen. I knew the Sheriff would be out of the house till at least 5 or 6 in the evening, and that meant no getting yelled at for not going to school and it also meant a nice quiet house to probably act like idiots in. Provided I could cheer Stiles up of course.

"I told you, we're baking a cake." I was searching the cupboards trying to find what I needed. The flour was on the very top shelf of a cabinet and I stretched up onto my tiptoes still finding myself unable to reach. I contemplated climbing onto the counter top when Stiles reached up with ease from behind me and grabbed it, placing it in my hands. This is the reason short people surround themselves with tall people, they're our tools of survival. No tall people equals the end of the short people race.

"A cake? Your mum just handed my ass to me and you want to bake a cake?" I let out a short laugh at the indignation in his voice, if there was one thing Stiles was it was certainly full of character. That character showed in the furrowing of his brows and his open mouth. He stared at me as if I was crazy which was more Scott's thing than Stiles'. Apparently Scott never quite understood what I was doing…which makes two of us I guess.

"Trust me…if baking with me doesn't make you smile then I've failed at my duty as best friend…" I was actually surprised that the Stilinski's had everything you needed to bake a cake…especially considering the great lack of baking or cooking in general in the house. But then I guess they'd bought more stuff since I cooked round there so often now, it would make sense after all if I wasn't just cooking them steak all the time. There's only so much steak a person can eat, American or not.

"Best friend?" I turned back to him, I guess I hadn't really said it out load and to his face before. I'd called him my best friend to others and I'd told myself that a thousand times over in the last few weeks, but had I ever actually told Stiles that he was my best friend? I don't think I had.

"Well yeah…you're my best friend…" I shoved a thick strand of dark hair behind my ear nervously and turned back to the counter top, arranging the ingredients around for no reason other than to distract myself from the awkward feeling that rested in my chest and the heat in my cheeks that was becoming more and more familiar for some bizarre reason.

"Alright, cake it is…" A hip bumped into mine and I looked up, happy to see at least a tender little half smile on his face. Sometimes I wondered what Stiles was thinking…I'd love to know what he thought all the time. I think it'd probably be pretty interesting…and of course it'd be nice to know what people think of you as well. But I guess the fact that he wasn't frowning anymore told me something right? He wasn't thinking about my mum or us being stranded in the woods with a killer on the loose and that's all I could ask for.

Despite it being pretty much October and relatively chilly outside, Stiles' kitchen was warm and as we stood there measuring out ingredients and mixing things into bowls and melting chocolate I found myself strangely restless, something I wasn't usually when I cooked. I guess that's why I put down the bowl I was mixing in and turned to Stiles while reaching towards a white paper package on the side.

"You know what the best part of baking is?" I asked, reaching into the packet to grab a large handful of its contents, trying to contain the grin that was threatening to break out on my face as Stiles shook his head still creaming butter with sugar in a bowl. The powder was soft between my fingers and I had to keep a tight fist not to lose any of it. "Flour Fights!" I threw the white powdery substance at him, hitting him in the side of the face, even though my throwing was pretty bad. I was giggling all the way despite the backlash of some of the flour hitting me in the face as well. He looked like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters, standing stock still, white coating the side of his face and the top of his shirt all the way down to some sprinkles on his trousers.

"What the hell?!" He coughed, dropping the spoon and turning to me white as a ghost. I couldn't stop laughing, holding my stomach as I bent over double. I missed the smile that overtook his face and the way he reached into the very same packet I previously had as I was laughing, eyes closed. "Oh okay…I see how it is…" an arm wrapped tightly around my waist and pulled me into Stiles' chest. I tried to wriggle free as flour was shoved into my face and onto my hair.

"Stiles!" I shoved myself free, grabbing more flour and throwing it at him without really thinking where it would hit before running to the other end of the kitchen. He grabbed the whole kilogram bag of flour in his hands and began advancing towards me, an evil little grin on his face that said I really shouldn't have started this. But I would do it all over again because damn was it good to see him smiling.

"Don't do this!" I shrieked with laughter as the whole packet of flour was dumped over my head and I couldn't see a thing, my glasses covered in white along with probably the rest of me. I felt around trying to find Stiles "C'mere, Lottie" a hand pulled my glasses off and although all I could see were blurs I was pretty sure Stiles was cleaning my glasses which was definitely confirmed the moment they were back on my face and I was smiling up at my friend. We both must have looked as much of a mess as the kitchen did in that moment, but the grin on his mole and flour splattered face was definitely worth it. He was standing close enough that I could see the flour clinging to his eyelashes, and the way the pink of his lips contrasted against the white.

"I guess that cake isn't getting made…." I gestured around to all the flour on the floor and on us. Unless of course someone went to get more flour, but I doubted we wanted that cake that much…although the Sheriff might just double kill us for skipping school and making a mess of the kitchen. I was surprisingly out of breath probably from all the laughing and my diaphragm hurt. It was a nice feeling, I hadn't laughed like that in at least a few days.

"Yeah…I guess we should clean up and then clean ourselves up" So we did, surprisingly the Stilinski's, men or not, did in fact own a broom and we swept up and cleaned up as much of the flour in the kitchen as we could and cleaned up the bowls and spoons we'd used, but not finished with….and then I found myself outside Stiles' bathroom.

"Uh, I'll leave some clothes on my bed and there should be some towels in the bathroom, I'll let you wash first and then I'll clean myself up…if that's okay with you?" He was rubbing the back of his neck and had I not known any better I would have thought he was blushing. I nodded at him, before going in the bathroom.

I'd been in Stiles' bathroom before of course, it was just a bathroom; a shower, a toilet, a sink, tiled floors and the like. Towels sat in a pile by the shower. I wondered how the drain would fair with all the flour as I stripped down and turned the shower on, leaving my glasses on the sink.

The water was lovely and warm and the shampoo that was in the shower obviously belonged to Stiles smelling strongly of him, although he didn't really have much hair to wash…but I guess what he did have still needed washing right? I'd never showered in a guy's shower before, but it was Stiles' so it really shouldn't have fazed me and yet it did. It was perhaps nicer than it should have been to be surrounded by smells that I knew so well and in an unfamiliar shower. The water was working wonders on my sore muscles from sleeping in the jeep and getting the flour out of my hair was certainly a refreshing feeling.

Stepping out of the shower, I felt the chill of autumn hit me and I quickly wrapped a towel around myself and my hair, goosebumps rising up on my skin. I snatched my glasses up and my underwear off the floor, before gingerly stepping out of the bathroom. In the hallway Stiles was stood eyes tightly shut and as still as a stature, but you could practically see his ears perk up as he heard the door open. I guess he was waiting for me to finish with the bathroom, he had a pile of clothes in his arms and was tapping his foot as if he was waiting.

"Stiles?" I pulled the towel tighter against me, not out of modesty, but because it was even colder out of the steam filled bathroom and in the carpeted hallway. I was pretty sure the heating didn't know that it should be on and next time I shower here I'm making sure it's on and that house is the temperature of a tropical jungle before I get myself all wet and cold.

"I'm not looking…I'm just showering next and I'll get changed in there while you get dressed…but I'm not looking!" I had to shake my head at him and the red on his cheeks, despite not being able to see me. Sometimes Stiles really was an innocent little baby and yet the next minute dirty jokes are popping out of his mouth and you overhear that he's having sex dreams most likely about Lydia…yeah, that boy was an odd one.

"I know you're not, you doofus" I laughed and bumped my wet shoulder against his clothed one as I passed, he practically jumped out of his skin. Naked girls made him jumpy, who knew? Or maybe it was just the unexpected touch, whatever it was it made me chuckle.

It was odd to be stood in Stiles' room, the door closed, and myself naked. I quickly got over that feeling, however, and slowly dried myself off. I figured Stiles would take at least 15 or 20 minutes in the shower and that I didn't really need to worry. A pair of tracksuit bottoms that were probably far too long for me and a t-shirt were sat folded up on the bed. I sat beside them drying myself with the towel before pulling on my underwear. I was about to reach for the t-shirt when the door was flung open.

"Oh my god!" I had honestly never thought I'd be standing in Stiles' room, in my underwear (not even good underwear, my panties had pizzas on them for God sake), with Stiles staring at me from the door way like I just killed a puppy dog. I wasn't sure if it was a look of shock or horror…I hoped the former because the latter could give me some serious self-confidence issues.

"Stiles!" Apparently yelling at him did nothing, but start his mouth moving and it seemed we were both in a predicament that perhaps we shouldn't have been in. I mean who ends up like this with their friend? Nobody. Okay…nobody real. This was not a TV Drama. I was not about to be swept off my feet and carried off into the sunset, mainly because the sun wasn't setting and Stiles wasn't probably strong enough to carry me.

"I thought you would be dressed by now!"

"Why do you shower so quickly!?" I was yelling even louder by now, but I swear he was in that shower for 5 minutes, 10 tops…was it a boy thing? Or was Stiles just speedy Gonzales in the shower? Whatever it was had put us in a situation where my pizza panties and the majority of my skin was on show and I found the brains to grab the t-shirt and force it over my head.

"Why do you dress so slowly!?"He retorted, waving his arms around like a maniac as I reached for the pair of track suit bottoms from the bed. I was well aware my arse was on pretty much on prime display and that I was probably never going to live this down if anyone found out…and I was pretty certain Scott would find out and probably Dori too. My life was turning into a spiralling pit of embarrassment, but hey! It's okay because I just practically flashed my best friend…someone shoot me. I'm serious, get the Sheriff, he has a gun.

"Turn around!" Why was he just standing there? Apparently my shouting had finally gotten through his thick skull and he turned around just as I was putting the trouser bottoms on…so he turns around once I'm finally dressed. If I could mentally sigh then I would.

"Stiles. Stiles I'm literally dressed now…" I exhaled feeling like laughing, but knowing that a flustered Stiles probably wouldn't appreciate it…and yet I had no doubt that the moment I left his house he'd be on the phone to Scott recalling the whole event, probably with extra dramatics.

"I'm so sorry…" He turned back to face me and I believed him. I mean Stiles was a pain and he could say some perverted things, but I had a feeling he wasn't really a peeping Tom and he genuinely looked horrified that he'd invaded my privacy. I was probably less worried about it then he was.

"I know, but I've got to go, it's getting late and I need to get home before mum sends out a search party…" It was an excuse and also the truth, I didn't need mum killing me and at the same time I wanted to get away from the now rather awkward tension that had filled the space between Stiles and I. Walking in on your friend half naked was apparently a mood killer, who knew!

"O-okay…" We shared an awkward hug, thanks to the previous underwear incident and I quickly dodged out of the room, grabbing my clothes off of the bathroom floor and my bag before scampering to my car and slamming my head back against my head rest, breathing heavily. I swear my life as a teenager wasn't this eventful back in England…

"I really need to stop getting in these situations…" I muttered to myself as I buckled myself in the car and started on the journey home. School was definitely out by this point and I had apparently spent more time around Stiles' than I thought I had. Time with Stiles was like that, it tended to just fly by, awkward situation or not. Maybe he had a time turner?

When I got into the house and threw my keys on the side Norman wasn't home and apparently neither was mum, but I could hear movement upstairs. Dori must have been home…I guess she caught a ride from Lydia or the bus.

I threw myself up the stairs and through my door, only to collapse face first on my bed. I hadn't looked around my room and jumped at the sound of Dori's voice from somewhere in the corner, mocking me, teasing me and all around being her usual lovable self.

"So how was he?" I would be lying if I said I wasn't confused as I sat myself up properly, and found Dori in the corner painting her nails at my desk. She looked calm, as if she'd just asked about the weather and for all I knew she could have…I wasn't quite grasping what she meant.

"What? How was who?" I kicked my converse off my feet and watched them tumble off my bed and onto the floor. I wonder where mum and Norman were, they should have been here…I guess they went shopping or maybe….I don't know.

"You know what I mean..." She looked over at me, a small smirk lifting the corner of her red lipstick coloured lips. She looked like she was finding great humour in my naivety and she probably was. It was Dori after all and I was probably a large source of her amusement as much as she was mine. It came with having a sibling I suppose.

"No...I don't, how was who at what?" I took me a few more minutes and that little devious smile for me to make the connection between her question and the boy I'd been with half an hour ago…she was asking how good Stiles was in bed… "Oh my god, Dori!" She started laughing at my shriek and I kind of wished I could melt into my bed at that point out of embarrassment.

"So…? Break any beds? Rough night? Make the car rock? Spend some quality time with _little_ Stilinski?" She just kept spouting off more and more questions heavily laced with sexual meaning and a teasing lilt that had me wanting to throw a pillow at her. She was lucky she was painting her nails or she'd have had a pillow straight to the face.

"Oh my god…shut up…the jeep broke down, we fell asleep, we messed around at his house…that's all!" I still found myself laughing, but it was more hysterical, born from embarrassment then genuinely humoured. It had been a very rough 24+ hours and yet I think I wouldn't try and change it. It was definitely something interesting that's for sure.

"Then why did you smell like him when you walked in and why are you wearing his clothes?" I sighed heavily, closing my eyes and realising that I wasn't going to be able to hide the awkward underwear incident from her. She was going to find out one way or another and perhaps it was best that she heard it from me rather than from a stranger who heard it from another stranger who heard it from another stranger to the point that it had changed from him walking in on me half naked to us having sex in a shower because I knew that it would happen if I didn't tell her soon.

"I had a shower…" I tried to keep my voice neutral, but I know it grew higher and higher in pitch and I knew my face was flushed with embarrassment that clearly said I wasn't telling the whole story to her.

"And?" She put the nail varnish down and leant forward in her chair towards me, the smile was gone instead she looked so deeply curious that I could practically feel the itch she wanted to scratch with the knowledge of my shower.

"What makes you think there's more to it?"

"C'mon you're as red as a strawberry! So what happened?" She wiggled her eyebrows at me and I rolled my own eyes, getting up off the bed to pace across my room. All my nervous energy or awkward energy wanted to get out and I just wanted to move in some way.

"He walked in on me getting dressed…I was in my underwear…it was…awkward to say the least…"I sighed for what felt like the 900th time that evening. I was doing a lot of sighing today. Awkward really was an understatement, horrifying was perhaps closer and yet I knew I'd probably be back to normal with the boy come school tomorrow.

"Oh this is gold!" She was practically cackling and I stopped in front of her, pushing her gently on the shoulder as she rocked back and forth from how much she was laughing.

"Shut up…so how was the 'hang out'?" The infamous hang out, two couples and a Dori, all bowling and all competing. I can't imagine Scott had much fun and I'd definitely have to ask him about it at some point, but I had no doubt he was probably still smitten with Allison…and vice versa. I probably had a message on my dead phone from Allison about how amazing he is. I should probably put it on charge come to think of it…

"Not good…" Dori sobered up quickly and I sat myself in front of her on my carpet, it must have been bad if she wasn't even laughing anymore. No smile was on her face and she looked as if she had a few war stories to tell to her grandkids and knowing Jackson she probably did. It was probably that idiot after all that started something, Scott was far too sweet and the girls would have wanted to just have fun even if Lydia probably wanted to show that she was better than the others at bowling.

"Oh?"

"Lydia and Jackson broke up…it was brutal…" I figured Dori would have been happy about it and maybe she was, but obviously the way it happened was the sad part. I'm sure she hated seeing Lydia in that position and I'm sure she cursed out Jackass a million times with emphasis on how much of a barbarian he was.

A long silence fell over us, Dori looking at her hands and me looking at her, until she looked up a new resolve in her eyes. Dori was good like that, she bounced back quicker than a bouncy ball and had the elasticity of a rubber band.

"We, Lyd and I, were planning on going out tomorrow after school…She wanted to know if you'd like to come?" I was shocked that Lydia wanted me to come, our interactions were usually limited to our study period and when she was with Dori. I mean I knew she didn't hate me, she'd shown approval of me on various occasions…but I wasn't exactly the type of person she'd usually hang out with. That didn't mean I didn't want to, Lydia could be fun to be around and I only really got annoyed with her now when she either insulted my friends or pretended she was far less intelligent then she was.

"Really? Lydia wants me to come?"

"She does like you…in an odd sort of way…but yeah, she wants you to come…so?" I could tell Dori wanted me there, we hadn't had much time to spend time together lately and I wanted to hang out with her too. It would be nice after all to spend an afternoon with girls rather than boys. I was lacking some serious girl time lately.

"Okay…sure, I'll probably regret it, but sure…" I laughed, nodding my head. I hadn't done enough that I regretted lately so why not. I might as well start somewhere and spending time with Lydia Martin and my sister was probably one of the best ways to do it.

"So tell me all the juicy details of the last 24 hours…" Dori leant forward again in her chair, her eyebrows doing some weird little dance and a smirk returning to her lips. Yes, I was going to be forced to recall it all in vivid, vivid detail…but I didn't really mind anymore. In the end, what wouldn't I tell my sister?


	14. Chapter 14

"C'mon, get up; we've got school, you've got to see lover boy and we have to try and listen to Allison yap on about Scott and how his eyes shine like diamonds or something…" The voice obviously belonged to Dori and I shoved a pillow over my head to muffle it. It was far too loud this morning and I really, really wanted to stay in bed, especially after the awkward events of the last two days.

"Go away…" She could probably barely hear me moaning at her from underneath my pillow, but I didn't care. The idea of facing everyone today was enough to have my cheeks flushing and the feeling of complete horror fill my body. A similar experience to having your prized relic stolen by your archaeological rival I imagine.

"Oh, stop complaining! It won't be that bad! Besides I thought you wanted to go out with Lydia and me? She'll be here to pick us up soon." The covers were peeled off of me and a hand tried pulling at my ankle as if to drag me out of bed. I kicked back lifting my head to turn to a blurred version of my sister.

"What?"

"Well she's driving us to school, so we don't have to worry about your car." I pulled my glasses on as Dori talked. At least it made sense why Lydia would be here now. I wondered how she was fairing with the break up. She probably wouldn't let anyone, let alone Jackson, know how much it was hurting her. I had a feeling this was Dori's moment to shine, her moment to be the supportive best friend and maybe the future girlfriend, but it was up to watching and waiting on my part…and if Lydia wanted to spend time with me then I'd spend time with Lydia.

"Whatever, fine, I'm up!" As much as seeing everyone and going to school was something I wasn't looking forward to, I'd rather not be killed by Lydia Martin just because I wasn't ready when she turned up. I had a feeling it would be a worse fate then being embarrassed all day.

"Good." There was, however, no way was I wearing a dress for the third day in a row. Wearing a pair of jeans and a stupid t-shirt was enough for me and I was almost relieved to be back in something normal.

Dori looked at me nodding to my choice of clothing as I walked downstairs and into the kitchen. It seemed mum and Norman weren't up yet, which while odd I was mostly relieved at. The argument I'd had with mum the other day while not a screaming match had hit a raw nerve in me and it had struck an even rawer one in my friend. I loved my mum…but sometimes she was wrong and sometimes she needed to know that. Even if it hurt. "You know Lydia's going to be disappointed, right?"

"Lydia has bigger concerns then my jeans…how's she doing by the way?" I may not spend much time with Lydia, but she was my study buddy and she'd helped me out a lot when she didn't have to. I cared about her. She might have been popular and at times bratty, but she wasn't a bad person. She wasn't like Jackson, no matter how often people compared the two. She was a good person and I knew that she had the potential to be a great person…So no, I didn't want to see her hurt.

"She's…not taking it very well, not that she'll tell anyone that…in some odd and incredibly unhealthy way she loved Jackson…" Everyone knew it. Jackson and her, had been dating for a good few years and maybe it was a power couple, reputation ploy…but there was still some care there. You could see it. Only moments Jackson wasn't a complete bastard was when he was around Lydia. That didn't mean they worked well together, however. In a way I was glad they broke up. I felt Lydia could do a lot better…and maybe Jackson would find a way to get that stick out of his ass.

"It'll be fine, you can help her…I'll keep an eye on her if you want?" I wasn't always around Lydia, but maybe it was high time I spent more time with her and watched her. I knew I spent a lot of time with Scott and Stiles, maybe it was time that I took some time out of my day to chat with other people. They wouldn't mind, right? Or maybe we could bring everyone together? One big happy table! That seemed more likely now that Allison and Scott had their thing going on.

"Sure, maybe it would be best if she had a few people looking out for her…other than me…"

"She'll be fine and you can go back to wooing her soon, trust me. She's resilient…actually I'm pretty sure she's a force of nature." Dori looked as if she going to say something when a horn sounded from outside. Opening the front door I could see Lydia's beetle parked just out front and she looked to be checking her make up. Rather predictable, but then she did always look flawless so there was at least a reason for it.

"Jeans? Why am I not surprised?" Sliding into the backseat of the beetle Lydia turned and eyed my clothing with her usual level of attention to detail. Whilst she looked mildly unhappy with my choice, she wasn't telling me to get changed, so I guess she was used to it by now and couldn't be bothered. Or she decided I'd worn a lot of dresses and therefore deserved to be let off the hook. Either way she wasn't attacking me like a Xenomorph so it was all good.

"You love me and my jeans, don't lie!" Dori was shaking her head at me, but I knew she was happy that I got a long with Lydia in my own way. I was growing more tolerant of her and in turn she was growing more tolerant of me. I liked it because I did want to be good friends with her, bratty at times or not she was a good person and I knew she was a dedicated friend. It was just getting past her intimidating, gorgeous exterior.

"Mmm…I'd also love to know what happened in a ghastly jeep with a certain nerd the other night." I internally groaned; of course she'd know about that. I knew it was coming the moment I woke up, but it was far too early to start with the car sex malarkey. I was probably going to die from embarrassment by the end of the day…or Stiles was. Especially as I still needed to give him his clothes back, the clothes that sat in my school bag.

"What…?"

"Everyone knows you didn't go home on Tuesday and everyone knows you didn't go to school yesterday…and neither did-what's his name? Stilinski?-So what happened?" I don't know how Lydia managed to drive and look at me without crashing, but she managed it and the teasing smirk was so very similar to Dori's that I wondered if they weren't going to morph into one human being intent on teasing me to death. _God help me if that happens…_

"Nothing happened, we got stranded and fell asleep is all!" I had it on good authority, however, that his jeep had already been fixed…apparently it wasn't anything especially serious. Which was wonderful for the jeep, but not so wonderful when it came to defending myself against teasing. But then again maybe I shouldn't be taking this so seriously…after all it was just Stiles right? But that was the point-it was Stiles. Stiles, my best friend. It was frustrating that nobody would listen and yet there was something flattering about the belief that I could get a nice person like Stiles. All around it was confusing.

"Oh and then he walked in on her getting dressed." Dori chimed in with her two pence. I kicked the back of her chair, almost face palming. She was grinning at me knowing exactly what she'd done, the little she devil…I wonder if Dori is actually a demon? Because if she is I'm going to exorcise her to hell and back.

"Dori!? Shut up!" I whined, scrunching my face up and wishing I could go hide in my room again. Unfortunately we were in a moving vehicle and while I was an idiot I wasn't a big enough idiot to jump out of a moving car…embarrassed or not.

"Mmm, it sounds like it was more than 'we just fell asleep'." Maybe if I change my name and move to another state all this would be over? I could totally do that. Maybe I'll move to Alaska where nobody can hear you scream or even meet you and therefore tease you. It was plan B if this all went up the creek without a paddle.

"Whatever you say, Lydia…I'm just going to pretend nobody thinks I'm having sex with Stiles." How that would go I don't know, school would be buzzing with gossip and I'd no longer be nice and under the radar…which is always annoying.

"Have fun with that, sweetheart." She smiled back at me as she pulled into the school parking lot, and I was reminded for the 900th time why Dori loved her so much. There was a pull everyone felt to Lydia Martin, whether it was the shining red hair or the perfect smile…and behind all that was a brain that could probably solve all the world's problems and even further there was a human heart that had pure and honest feelings. She just didn't like to show it.

"I'll try, your majesty." I bowed to her as I left the car, She wasn't joking about the whole school knowing. Everyone was looking at me and there was congregations of people giggling in little herds. I decided the best approach was perhaps the Lydia approach. Be strong willed, apathetic, and tell them to go fuck themselves politely…maybe.

I was bashing open my locker, when a voice came up from behind me. "So I heard someone slept with Stilinski…" Danny leant one shoulder against the locker next to me. I liked Danny, we hadn't really talked in a while, but he was a nice guy. Even if he could probably crush me with his pinkie finger…which was a very worrying thought.

" _I didn't_ , Danny." Sighing, I pulled out the books I needed for the day. Having a locker was still incredibly weird, but I was getting the hang out of it. I think…

"I know, I just figured I'd come and stop by...see how you were coping with all-"He stopped gesturing around to the other students in the corridor, staring and giggling or maybe I was imagining the extent of it all. "-this."

I slammed my locker shut, holding my books to my chest as I leant back against it, looking at Danny. "You mean the whole school believing I slept with my best friend in his jeep while a killer was running around? Yeah, it's going swell, buddy" Had I known this was going to happen, would I have gone with Stiles Tuesday night? Or would I have stayed home and played computer games? I'm not sure. While this wasn't the best situation I'd been in…I had enjoyed myself and it's not as if this could go on forever, right?

"You going to be okay?" Danny could probably tell I was frustrated. It wasn't so much the idea of being with Stiles like that, but the constant disbelief when I told the truth that got to me. It was like your grandma asking if you had a boyfriend and then not believing you when you said no or yes. I just didn't want to have to keep saying no every five minutes…and I didn't like all the attention either.

"Yeah…it'll die down soon, right?" I looked at him, Danny winced at me remaining silent as a mouse. _Well, that's not good…_

"Well that's reassuring!" I would have clapped my hands had they been free of books, it was nice to know gossip was going to follow me around for at least a few days, I could go buy a baseball bat and knock some sense into people.

"I'll see you in art, Danny boy" I pushed off from the locker and stalked my way down the corridor. I passed Allison on the way and she gave me a sympathetic smile and a wave. I hope her and Scott are more discrete because I think it would be worse if the whole school knew you actually had done something. They were a bunch of vultures that's for sure.

It actually wasn't until lunch that I saw everyone again, which wasn't unusual. While I was in many of their classes, some teachers liked to keep me away from them. Especially Harris, who seemed to think that the world would implode in on itself if I sat next to Stiles and Scott for even a second of his class. He was the absolute worst science teacher and I was dreading Parent teacher conference in a few weeks' time.

I slumped down in an available seat beside Scott. Apparently everyone had decided to sit together, most likely because of Allison and Scott. Jackson was nowhere to be seen, probably off being a complete douchebag somewhere. To my right was Scott, to my left was Danny, and in front of me was Allison. I chose to stuff my face instead of talk, hoping certain topics wouldn't come up…but then, when had hope ever done much for me?

"Rough day?" I looked over at Scott, leaning heavily against his shoulder. He looked as if he knew exactly what I'd been through. At least he was soft to lay on, even if he was ridiculously warm. Maybe he had a fever?

"Oh y'know the usual, everyone thinks I've banged Stiles and Harris asked if I was an idiot!" I replied cheerfully, looking over my friends. They all looked amused, especially Dori and then you could hear the sound of water being choked on and a loud exclamation from Scott's right.

"They think we slept together?!"

"How have you not noticed this?" I leant round Scott, to stare at Stiles completely baffled. The whole school had been fixated on it all day, how had he not noticed?! It was being shoved in our faces. Even Finstock had heard! Finstock!

"You? And Me?! And in-an-sleeping-an-ahh!" He stumbling over his words and it was something he seemed to be doing more and more often. It wasn't really something I wanted to hear today after a long day, especially as it was pretty much 'Hey, Lottie, we're best friends, but you're not that hot that I'd sleep with you.' Not that I wanted to actively sleep with Stiles, but it was principle you understand. It was the idea that I wasn't good enough that was hurtful, rather than the actual idea of not sleeping with him.

"I get it, Stiles! The idea is repulsive! Shut up." Even Lydia looked like she might beat him over the head in a minute. Which would probably be a perfectly reasonable response to Stiles being an idiot. Like always.

"Wha-"

"Buddy, just be quiet, you're digging your own grave." I could thank Scott in that moment, as I moved my food out of the way and laid my head down on top of my arms a top the table. I probably looked rather pathetic which would explain the hand patting my back like I was a dog.

"Well, did you have fun on Tuesday anyway?" Allison asked, I nodded into my arms. I did have fun. Just it was now spiralling out of control and into the depths of teenage embarrassment that I thought I'd never dealt with. Funny how things turn out.

"Lydia said you were hanging out with her and Dori tonight?" Once again I nodded, a small noise of consent left me and I was wondering if I could communicate like this for the rest of the day. It seemed like something that would be beneficial given my current mood, which was somewhere been desperate embarrassment and hysterical humour.

"If you need an escape route, just let me know-Scott and I are studying." I might take Allison up on that offer, Lydia could be incredibly overbearing and if by some small amount of luck Dori started making out with her then I'd definitely be shooting off to somewhere far, far, far away. I did not need to be third wheel.

I lifted my head and looked her Allison, my eyebrow raised, "Studying is never studying, Alley-Cat, but if I need an escape I will phone you right away and beg you to save me…" I was sure multiple people had already told her she would be 'studying' with Scott. It was especially relevant since they had a thing going on. I mean if they were just friends they might actually have been studying…but those two? No. Studying will probably be the last thing on their minds.

"Alley-Cat?" She questioned, that bright smile of hers quirking to one side as if she was confused, but not unhappy with the name. I didn't even really think before I used it, it was like calling Scott, Scotty or Theodora, Dori. It was part of what I did I guess…

"She likes giving people nicknames." Stiles spoke from his seat beside Scott before I had the chance to answer myself. Although my answer wouldn't have been a good probably…I was going to apologise, but maybe Stiles knew me better than I did? Which considering I barely understood what I was saying half the time wasn't a real stretch of the imagination.

"What's yours?"

"Batman." We both chimed in at the same time, with perhaps equally as serious expressions and voices. Sometimes doing stuff in sync with people was incredibly creepy, kind of like creepy evil twins in horror movies who blink and move at the same time.

"Does that make you Selina Kyle?" Dori snorted to herself. Her ability to tease the hell out of me was apparently still going strong today and I guess I had given her quite a lot of material to work with over the last 2 days. I couldn't fault her for doing the exact same thing I would be doing.

"Do I look like a cat-burglar who walks around in tight fitting cat suits to you?" I don't think I could pull off a cat suit like Cat Women does, unless it was a Halloween costume of a cat…in which case I'd look probably about as silly as I did normally anyway.

"Now…that is an image…"

"Stiles. Please stop imagining what I think you're imagining, you are not helping. Please put your teenage boy hormones away in a locked box." My hands acted out the motion of opening a box, closing and locking it, before throwing away the key to further my point. I tried to push down whatever fluttering had happened in my stomach, maybe I was getting a stomach ache? I should probably be careful about that…maybe see Mrs McCall.

"Right…yes, ma'am."

"Well, we know who wears the pants in your relationship." Lydia looked almost too amused at the idea of me being in anyway in charge-I know I'm only tiny and very unthreatening, but I could totally be in charge in a relationship, even this non-existent one.

"What relationship…?"

"Well you did go on a date, didn't you?" Lydia pointed out checking her make-up for the 5th time that hour or maybe it was day…I'm not sure. Sometimes I forget that while Tuesday wasn't a date for Stiles and I, the majority of the others still believed it was actually real. Which made me question how I acted around Stiles, if they thought we were anything but friends. But then again, why change my behaviour? I might as well continue what I'm doing and hope it confuses enough people to be funny.

"About that…it may or may not have been a fake date…to get me out of going to your 'hang out'…please-don't-hurt-me!" I recoiled in my seat, eyes closed tightly and arms out expecting to be hit in the face.

"WHAT?!"

"Oh…would you look at the time, I have to get to class! Bye!" I vaulted out of my seat, with a passing wave goodbye and walked as quickly as I could away from an angry blonde and red head before either could attack me with forks or knives or other pointy objects in their vicinity. I hoped they'd calm down by the time school was out or I might genuinely have to take Allison up on that offer of an escape plan.

The rest of the day itself went like that morning, except now Stiles was aware of the stares we were getting along with the whispers. It seemed like they were dying down, however by the time I walked out of school and made my way to Lydia's car. My phone buzzed as I sat down and I unlocked it to see a new message.

**Remember, if you need an escape call me xoxo- Alley Cat**

I'd changed her name after lunch that day, I had yet to get around to changing everyone's and surprisingly I had more numbers than I really knew people. I think people just gave Dori and I numbers at the start of the year because we were English or something…American's are weird, but they're definitely growing on me.

We were moving slowly forward to get out of the school when the queue stopped completely. Leaning forward to the front of the car I could see a familiar jeep and two familiar heads getting out the car and circling around to the front. That wasn't what worried me however, what worried me was that my two friends were supporting Derek Hale ex-murder suspect into Stiles' jeep. Why were they even going near him? Didn't they get him arrested? What the bloody hell was going on?

**Stiles, wtf is going on? Why do you have Derek bloody Hale in your car!? You better answer me! X**

I don't think I'd ever typed a message that fast in my life. I was going to kill both my best friends and I wasn't going to do it slowly or painlessly. I mean I knew they did stupid, possibly illegal things behind my back. That was a given considering Stiles was a miscreant, but Derek Hale? He was a creep…I still remember him taking Allison home despite not actually being friends with Scott. I wouldn't say I hated him, I probably liked him more than Jackson…but something was off about everything and honestly I was getting fed up with the secrets. I knew it wasn't my business…I couldn't help but be concerned, though.

**He needs the hospital. X-Stiles**

I wasn't going to bother asking where this selfless lets-help-a-possible-murderer thing came from. I was slightly relieved that it wasn't something shady and was instead something perfectly plausible and normal. It meant I could relax, even though Dori and Lydia were chewing me out for not telling them that the 'date' wasn't actually a date. It went something along the lines of 'but that was my ship!?' and 'I'm surprised I didn't notice'. Dori was naturally devastated and probably was going to throw away her fanfiction, and Lydia? She seemed somewhat impressed that Stiles and I managed to fool her, which I'm guessing was a good thing. But I doubted I'd ever be able to get out of anything she was involved with ever again.

I actually had no idea what we were doing, until we pulled up at the local mall…mall was such a weird word! Why not stick with shopping centre like the rest of us? Anyway, apparently shopping was on the menu, which was one of my least favourite activities, but I was offered greasy food so I shan't complain.

"So what exactly are we looking for?" The mall was a pretty large place, a few floors and tonnes of escalators, but it was lit brightly and there were a lot of nice food places. I didn't spend a lot of time there, but I had a feeling that going to change, especially with winter formal approaching quickly. I knew I'd be dragged into going dress shopping and probably have Lydia poke and prod me for a few hours. But I guess it was all worth it in the end right? To wow someone completely? Not that I had anyone to wow…although I would love to see Stiles' jaw drop again because that is always funny…or that's what I told myself.

"Allison's birthday is coming up and we still haven't gotten her anything." I almost stopped in the way of some poor old lady when Lydia spoke; how had I not known Allison's birthday was coming up? God, I really needed to actually speak to some other people. We might need to let Stiles cause some mischief on his own for once and stop babysitting him, like I was now…I wonder if he's killed anyone yet…or maimed them…

"Her birthday?"

"Mmm, she's turning 17" The escalator was surprisingly slow moving, as we made our way up from the ground floor and to the first. The mall as I had said was pretty large, it was larger than any shopping centre I'd ever been in in England and it was easily a football pitch or two in size, which is probably how Lydia stayed in such good shape.

"Oh because she's moved around a lot?" I had learnt that Allison's dad owns a lot of guns and that they move around a lot because of that. The idea her dad legally had an army's worth of guns was unsettling, but despite hitting Scott with a car he seemed alright as a person…I guess.

"Exactly. So we're going to get her something lovely to celebrate." I had the image of giant present probably filled with some sort of fluffy gown like Kaylee's in firefly, but I doubt Lydia would approve…although Dori might.

"What does Allison even like?" I felt like I hardly knew her, which considering I called her my friend was really bad. I guess I knew her, but I didn't _know_ her if that made sense.

"Clothes, cute animals, your friend, cake, that sort of thing." I followed Lydia and Dori into a shop, it was filled with racks of clothes and shelves of shoes and boots. It was an intimidating sight, but it was honestly amazing to see Lydia in her natural environment. She looked calmer and kinder than she did most days at school, but I wasn't sure if that was the recent break up (which would explain the make-up covering dark circles under her eyes) or not.

"So…I'll just let you guys lead…" I raised my hands taking a figurative step back. I had no idea what to get Allison and honestly Lydia would be much better at doing that then me, so why not let her do her thing? I imagine it was like watching a honey bee work, incredibly busy…but perhaps more graceful.

"Probably for the best, Lottie, you'd probably buy her some old book or a pack of Pokémon cards." Dori dropped in, turning to giggle at my aghast expression, while Lydia looked on confused, shaking her head and returning to the clothes rack.

"That was one time!" Dori merely continued to laugh, I turned to Lydia "I was 12!" It wasn't as if she'd absolutely hated my present…okay, she'd sold it to buy a CD, but I was 12, I liked Pokémon and old stuff and I assumed Dori did as well.

We had been perusing multiple shops for hours with little to no success when we finally agreed to sit down and eat, Dori had gone off to go to the toilet and that left Lydia and I alone. Which wasn't as uncomfortable as you might think.

"I do like you, you know. We're completely different and I disagree completely with your fashion sense…but I do care for you." I slowed my chewing down and put my burger back in its cardboard prison, looking at the strawberry blonde, 5ft 3 girl, with impossibly impeccable eyebrows, who my sister was completely in love with. She looked softer than usual, there was this sense that a wall had come down and I hadn't expected that…we weren't close, but I wouldn't shun it either.

"I like you too…you know you're an absolute Queen right?" I joked taking a sip of my milkshake. I was pretty sure she was my other Queen, the first being Dear ol' Lizzy of course. If Lydia was Queen then Dori would be her mistress in the night and Jackson would be the ex-husband who gets his head chopped off for treason.

"I know! So are you…you just need to realise that."

"Nah, I'm more of a minstrel or a jester, I make people laugh I don't command them." I laughed it off, I wasn't a queen. I hadn't the makings of one. I was awkward, lazy, and meek, I wasn't especially beautiful and I was way too lenient to be a queen. All that pressure would probably make me crack as well.

"You command those boys pretty well…"I leant back in my seat and eyed Lydia like she mad. She looked deathly serious, however, and there was a look in her eyes that I couldn't quite decipher when she talked about Scott and Stiles. Like she knew more than she was letting on…which would be really weird considering up until recently she didn't even have a clue who they were.

"That's those two…they…they're just like that…" I doubted they listened to me for any reason other than that they didn't want another incident of me ignoring them…it still made me cringe to think about it. I was determined never to do that again, scared, upset, or otherwise. I was going to resolve stuff by talking to them rather than hiding…or at least that's what I planned on doing.

"They care about you."

"I know. I care about them too." She was diverting the topic away from her and I sighed, looking at her seriously. I wasn't often the most serious person around, but I think it was about time we had a talk…especially with recent 'events'. "Lydia…how are you?"

"What do you mean?" She looked away from me, sniffing. She knew exactly what I meant. She just didn't want to talk about that and that was fine, but I just needed to know even if she told me a lie. I needed to get this talk done. She needed to know people were there for her, even if some of us didn't talk to her very often.

"The boys aside…are you okay with the whole Jackson thing, Queenie?" I lifted a hand to her shoulder, it was the most physical contact either of us had shared and I hoped it helped her feel better or more comfortable around me. I just wanted her to be okay…sometimes bratty or not, Lydia didn't deserve to be heartbroken and I certainly would rather see her smile then frown.

"No. But I don't need him. I will be okay. I've got Dori after all!" She put some cheer into the end and I could see how much she cared about Dori. There was just this little sparkle behind her green eyes that said more than she did. I wasn't usually the most observant person in the world…but I knew that she cared about Dori more than she let on.

"She cares about you a lot…" I wasn't out right going to convince Lydia to fall in love with Dori and have her many ginger haired babies (mainly because I couldn't take sides in the Stiles/Dori war for Lydia) but I could at least express how truly deeply she cared for Lydia. I was pretty certain Dori would jump in front of a train for Lydia or anything she asked. That worried me as much as it melted me. I was worried that Dori was going to get hurt like Stiles, but at the same time…to see Dori so smitten, so emotive for once was incredible and I felt like I was seeing a positive change in her. I liked it. But I was scared for her as well.

"I…I know…I care about her too" But maybe I didn't have to be. I felt like the last thing Lydia wanted was to hurt Dori. It felt like she cared equally for Dori and that perhaps…perhaps that near kiss they had was actually something. I had a lot of faith that this was all something that would turn out alright. I hoped at least.

"Sh-"I was cut off by Dori returning to our table, a content smile on her face and her hands being wiped on her skirt, apparently the hand dryers were bad. "What did I miss?" She breathlessly took her seat and took a drink.

"Nothing, just small talk…" I reassured her, Lydia nodded at me in thanks. I knew she didn't want Dori to know about our little talk. I wouldn't tell her, it wasn't my place to…I knew that they'd have their own talk when they were ready. It wasn't going to help if I forced the issue.

"Whatever you say, Lottie" She laughed and we continued eating and chatting, or they did because my phone decided it was time to go off. I was getting a surprising amount of messages today, which I didn't usually get unless something serious was happening or I'd done something myself. It was of course the one person who had been off doing ridiculous things with an ex-murder suspect. Although I guess there was nothing to worry about since everyone seemed certain it was an animal of some sort.

**Just wanted to let you know me and Scott are fine, so you didn't worry, how's the girl time going? Xx-Stiles**

Surprisingly, I wasn't worrying about them at all during the time I'd spent with Lydia and Dori, probably because I was focused on other stuff. But it was nice of Stiles to let me know they were okay. I knew that had I not been busy I would have probably been worrying over them and fixating on the possibility of them dying or getting in some sort of trouble that would end in the Sheriff and Mrs McCall having a heart attack. And then I'd probably have heart attack and there would be lots of people in the hospital for heart attacks that day.

**Thanks! It's going good, I've missed it, might have to do it more often! Xx**

While spending time with Stiles was great, I did think I needed to spend more time with other people. He was a nice safe person for me to be around and I love spending time with him, but the same went for the others as well. I wanted to spend time with everyone not just one person and if that meant less Stiles…then well I'd have to come to a compromise.

**And leave me on my lonesome?! Xx-Stiles**

Even if that compromise meant Stiles didn't get as much time with me, he had Scott? Plus I'm sure he'd like some alone time rather than being stuck with me all the time. I know that I sometimes got tired of myself, let alone if I was someone else dealing with me!

**You're a big boy, you can take care of yourself xx**

I liked to think Stiles could look after himself. Mothering him wasn't something I thought I did…but I probably did and he could surely keep himself out of trouble for a few hours if I was with the girls or Danny. Right?

**That's what you think xx-Stiles**

I shook my head at him, he was getting snarkier and snarkier the more I knew him, I wasn't sure if it was sign he was comfortable or just that he'd invested in some better comebacks now that I wasn't running off for weeks on end.

**Get home safely, Stiles, I'll see you later xx**

He was an idiot, but he was my idiot. Of sorts. Although as I have stated before I do not believe in slavery and therefore do not own Stiles…I merely claim some friendship ownership of sorts. I wasn't sure if that was a thing, but it was now.

**You too, I'll see you soon, cat women xx-Stiles**

If he started calling me that regularly I'd probably hit him, but I left my phone and Lydia, Dori and I continued our search for Allison's present. In the end we found a rather nice jacket that was worth more than my life savings and Lydia dropped us back at our house. I couldn't hear mum or Norman and once again they seemed to be out…that seemed to be the case recently. I wasn't sure if mum was busy doing her lawyer stuff down the station or if Norman was staying back at the middle School to mark work, but they'd been gone more often than not. The house was quieter than it had ever been….I'm not sure if I liked that or if I hated it to be honest. I was so used to noise now that the silence was almost unnerving…but then what could I do? All I could do was go to sleep and hope the quiet wasn't a new and continuous feature in our house.


	15. Chapter 15

"Hey, Sheriff…" I coughed in the door way. The Sheriff looked up from the paper work he was eyeing on his desk. I'd never seen him wear glasses before. It made him look more like a teacher and less like a Sheriff.

He looked surprised to see me, not that I blamed him. It wasn't every Friday afternoon you found me strolling into the Sheriff's station, but I was finally getting around to asking something I'd been meaning to for a while. Events and nerves had been getting in the way of me seeing about that job, but I figured now was about the time that I should.

"What're you doing here, Kiddo?" I took that as my cue to start walking into the room, rather than standing in the door way fidgeting like I'd killed somebody. There was an empty chair in front of his desk and I plopped myself down into it feeling very much like one of those characters in Crime movies. Not that the Sheriff was about to arrest me or anything…after all I was pretty sure I was in his good books. For the most part I seemed to keep the boys in line…except when they wandered off to do their own mischief making-which was quite regularly and may or may not involve dead bodies, Derek Hale, and probably stuff I didn't even want to think about.

"I was wondering…" I avoided his eyes, looking instead at the items on his desk. "Do…does the station have any jobs available….?" A small picture of a young boy resting a baseball bat over his shoulder was sitting in a photo frame atop the desk. The mole dotted face was familiar, if a tad younger than I was used to. Stiles. Somehow that's exactly how I imagined him as a kid. The goofy grin and all.

"A Job?" I shifted my eyes up and to the side to look at the Sheriff. His brows were furrowed in bemusement as his hands left the pieces of paper he'd been looking at when I entered, sparing them a quick glance I could see a few things that I didn't want to. Case files about the deaths…and photographs of them including the bus driver.

"Yeah…?" I internally winced at how uncomfortable I sounded, shifting my eyes back to Mr Stilinski. His brows relaxed slowly and if I looked close enough I could perhaps see the corners of his lips tilting upwards in amusement, probably at my behaviour.

"Well, we do need someone watching the front desk in the evenings."

"And?" I ventured, I felt kind of like Jar Jar in that moment; full of hope waiting to be crushed by the inevitability of life. I'd never had a job before, in fact I'd never gotten many interviews either, but I wanted one. I wanted some self-sufficiency, some independence. And as much as I hated it Winter Formal was fast approaching and I wasn't letting Lydia buy my dress for me, she'd done enough already between the whole new wardrobe and being my friend in her own odd sort of way.

"If you want it, you can start Monday?" I didn't care much about the specifics, but getting offered a job at all was awesome. I was expecting the Sheriff, amazing or not, to turn me away.

I practically jumped out of the seat in elation, almost clapping my hands like a demented sea lion. "Yes!" I coughed embarrassed at my outburst "I mean…thank you, uh…" I let out a nervous laugh as the Sheriff shook his head at me playfully.

"Go on, get out. Keep the boys out of trouble will you?" I doubted I would actually see the boys, we hadn't made any plans at school that day and I'm sure they were probably causing havoc somewhere. I had seen them at school however and we'd discussed some minor events…like the fact that Finstock was apparently still holding onto the belief that Stiles and I were a thing and that Allison and Scott had had some weird sort of condom incident at a family dinner last night…I didn't quite know the details, but I figured I'd find out soon enough.

"If I see them I'll be sure to, Papa Stilinski" I waved a goodbye and shuffled my way out of the station that I'd apparently be spending more time in. If mum and I were actually talking she might be proud of me for being an active member of society…unfortunately it had gone from arguing constantly to her never being in the house and always working. Apparently she always had some case she needs to do her lawyer thing for…but she didn't seem angry anymore. I think we were just both too stubborn to say sorry for what was a shared fault. It was relieving to no longer have the arguing, but it was still uncomfortable at times when we did run into each other…I was wondering when the stalemate would end.

A thing that hadn't changed in the last few days, however, was the fact that everyone seemed to be texting me all the time. I wasn't sure when it started exactly, but people had apparently decided that communicating with me via text was the new best thing. Hence the message I received while walking to my car from Allison.

**Hey, you want to come round and study? Maybe stay for dinner? Xoxo –Alley Cat**

I unlocked the car to the rusting Ford. I was hoping that I'd be able to get a new car soon, but it seemed almost as unlikely as me and Allison actually studying. We both knew we'd probably be talking about Scott or some other gossip like how we were both rooting for Dori and Lydia to get together. It had turned out Allison shared my enthusiasm at the two of them, just without the obligation to not take sides between Stiles and Dori. My only relief was that Stiles hadn't been talking about his crush on Lydia lately…it seemed like it wasn't really there and I hoped that meant he wouldn't be too hurt if Dori did start dating the redhead.

**Didn't you study with Scott the other day? Xxx**

By studying I meant that they made out and then ate dinner with the whole family and were subjected to an abundance of awkward encounters. Despite that I wasn't opposed to seeing the brunette though, I hadn't seen Allison outside of school often if at all and it was about time that we actually hung out and had a good time away from the others. Although I think we all needed to get together, despite our differences, and have a group movie night. Even if it would consist of mainly the two lovesick fools I know fawning over the Queen of our group/s and then Allison and Scott fawning over each other and just me and Danny sat in the middle.

**Yeah, but I kind of want to spend time with you…and maybe chat? Xoxo- Alley Cat**

I probably looked like a young hooligan sitting in my car on my phone outside the Sheriff's station. Although I hadn't been glared out by any old ladies recently which was refreshing. Maybe it was the luck of living in a relatively big and populated area rather than a mainly elderly filled village? All I knew was it meant I could walk down the street with Dori without catching the uncomfortable evil eye.

**Okay, I'll pop round in a bit, yeah?**

Speaking of Dori I hadn't seen her much today other than at lunch, she'd been spending a lot of time with Lydia and I think Lyd finally got around to talking to her properly about how she felt about Jackson breaking up with her. I was glad. They both brought out something softer in each other and I know that Dori wanted to help Lydia where she could.

**That's good : ) See you soon! Xoxo- Alley Cat**

I would say starting my car was easy, but it wasn't. I had probably said on multiple occasions how the car was slowly dying and fit for a scrap heap…it was getting to the point that I was worried it would completely give out on me and then I'd be stuck relying on the school bus or one of the others. I liked having my own car, it gave me a sense of independence despite that fact I mainly used it for getting to school.

Allison's house wasn't actually somewhere I'd been very often, the first time I was there I was just outside to drop Dori off before toodling on my way to get pizza and binge out on Scott's sofa with him and Stiles one weekend. We had an argument over the phone about why I wasn't buying Hawaiian pizza because apparently Scott is an abomination who wants fruit on his savoury beautiful cheesy food. But the point is I knew where she lived, but I had never entered her house or met her family other than her father…and after hearing about last night I was slightly scared.

Her house was bigger than Dori and I's, not made from wood panelling either and always looked like the type of house you'd expect someone like Jackass to live in rather than a sweet almost too down to earth girl like Allison. Houses usually said a lot about people, but I think this one said more about Allison's parents then her-they were probably going to rip me limb from limb. Especially since her father had a thing about running people over with his car.

I took a few steadying breathes and prayed to every deity I could think of before rapping my knuckles against the door and fidgeting impatiently. The door swung open relatively quickly to reveal Allison's father, stern face and questioning eyebrow included. "Uh…hi, Mr Argent, I'm here to see Allison?"

"Allison! Your friend is here!" I jumped at the loud yell and found myself rather relived when Allison could been seen on the second floor leaning over the railing and beckoning me forward. I shuffled past Mr Argent like he might pull out a handgun and shoot me before climbing up the stairs faster than I'd ever climbed anything (people not included).

"Your dad scares me..." I spoke as I collapsed on top of her bed; Allison's room was still very much in that 'I've just moved in' stage. Boxes littered the floor and the walls probably needed repainting, but she was slowly getting there-fragments of herself could be seen amongst all the other clutter. It was the curse of having to resettle into a new house, how do you make it your own?

"He's harmless." Allison dismissed my complaints with a roll of her eyes and sat down next to my head, poking me in the shoulder.

"Harmless with a trillion guns? He scares me. But I like you and so here I am…even if your dad could kill me with his pinkie finger" He had the whole assassin/spy thing going on and it was both worrying and cool. I kind of wondered where Allison got her kind, harmless personality from-her mother perhaps or some far off distant relative in a foreign land?

"So…"

"So…? Yesterday, c'mon I know you're dying to let out all the embarrassing secrets!" Allison went from smiling dreamily (probably thinking about making out with a certain bro of mine) to blushing heavily with a wince, the face of pure embarrassment. I had worn that face on multiple occasions from the 'Locker Girl' incident to recalling Stiles and I's shower run in…it was the face of someone who'd been subjected to a new form of psychological torture. Teenage awkwardness.

"It was horrific! First dad is testing Scott for all sorts of things-"

I butted in, pulling myself into a seated position. "Drugs? Alcohol? His fluffy animal collection?" The faux hysteria I was displaying was definitely Oscar worthy, between the hands clutching at my hair and the horrified expression I should have been getting paid for my acting skills.

"Then when he's about to leave my aunt thinks he's stolen something from her bag-" Allison was pacing back and forth, her eyebrows rose in a way I hadn't thought was possible. It was like watching Lydia when she was shopping, there was that underlying tension and the constant rhythm of movement and yet there was still that sense that it wasn't the end of the world and that you could make a few jokes and not get killed. Not that Allison could kill anyone, she was a fuzzy bunny rabbit.

"As if Scott could steal anything! He's what Stiles as the Sheriff's son should be like! He's way too moral!" Scott was the type of person that helped old ladies cross the street and picked up other people's litter, he was so moral that it was actually worrying and inspiring at the same time. He had this whole hero feel going down, just without the flashy heroics and the tight spandex costume…but if I could totally get him in a costume I would. Maybe at Halloween? A full blown superhero outfit, cape and all!

"Exactly! But she didn't know that and I had to admit to taking a condom out of her bag…in front of my parents…and I'm doomed…I had to fight dad just to let you come over." I can't imagine I was much of a threat to Mr Argent's daughter's honour and purity, but if he wanted to keep me away because Scott was seducing Allison then I guess I couldn't blame him. After all he did know that I was Scott's friend, who's to say I wouldn't sneak her out…it's not like she hasn't done it before. In fact she'd snuck out on Tuesday for that bloody bowling hang out, from what I'd been told there was even some amazing gymnastics involved. Which had me wondering if Allison was secretly Lara Croft in disguise and went Tomb Raiding on her nights off between French homework and English.

"This is why I'm incredibly lucky…Norman would probably just congratulate me if I needed a condom…Jesus…" Norman was so laid back and eager to not get on my bad side that it was amusing. It was the case of being the Step-dad who knew he couldn't be my dad. I still remembered my dad and I wasn't eager to replace him…so I guess I got the sort of lenience you'd give a friend. "On the bright side it is Scott, he's very unlikely to run from your crazy family…"

"But he knows I stole a condom!?" You know if I put myself in her shoes I could completely understand the mortification. But she's forgetting one important factor; it's Scott. Scott is so deeply smitten with her he'd bow at her feet and praise her like a Goddess if she asked. Whether it was healthy or not remained to be seen, but there was no way a condom was doing anything but having a positive impact.

"And he's probably very chuffed with himself at the fact you were willing to sleep with him. He's a guy and one that's completely besotted with you…he's probably puffing out his chest in pride and talking Stiles' ear off." And Stiles would probably complain that Lydia was still not dating him and that he was a single pringle all on his lonesome. But really he'd be super-duper proud of Scott and probably be giving him a secret clap on the back for finally getting the girl.

"You think?" I smiled involuntarily at her, she looked so hopefully as if it hadn't crossed her mind that Scott felt for her a lot. It was adorable, everything from the biting lip to the nervous smile. She really did like Scott and I wanted to see them work.

"If you don't believe me ask Lydia, she'll tell you the same thing…he likes you a lot and I'm not just saying that because I'm his friend or your friend, he really does like you…" There were times when I'd get a text at midnight from Scott as he obsessed over how he'd look the next day or how he'd act. Scott was so eager to please her and he didn't even need to try. It was like putting two puppies into a room together, they're going to gravitate towards each other.

"How much is a lot?"

"Ready to elope to Mexico." She looked almost fearful for a moment before I burst out laughing, having to calm myself back down to properly speak. "I'm kidding! But he really does think you're the best thing since sliced bread and honestly at times it can go from sweet to irritating, but I deal with it." I shrugged at her, pushing my glasses back up the bridge of my nose and watching her sink back onto the bed with me, no longer pacing.

"Why do you deal with it, if it's that annoying?" I stopped at Allison's question, looking at her. I…that was a loaded question. Why did I deal with anyone or anything? Why did I deal with Scott?

"He's like a brother to me I guess…I love him in a way…plus he buys me food and opens my locker for me. He's a sweetheart…if a tad lovesick." As much as I boasted that Stiles was my best friend, Scott was the more sensitive one. He knew straight away I was anxious about buying my lunch and he knew when I was stressing over something seemingly simple and like a brotherly figure he came in and he helped me. He talked for me if I couldn't get the words out, he pushed me forward, he nudged me towards what I needed and wanted to do and be. Scott was this floppy haired Knight in Shining armour from the start and he'd taught Stiles a thing or two about my behaviour and I know had two more people looking after me then I did in the summer.

The brunette smiled at me gently as if she knew that he meant more than I perhaps said. She was incredibly gentle as people go and it was nice. You spend your day around brash figures like Stiles, Dori, or Lydia and you just long for a bit of gentle every now and again. A bit of care and a bit of soft. An Allison. She was the down time person I needed to cool off with. I regretted not spending enough time with her as of recently. "Talking of lovesick, how's Operation Dydia going?"

Operation Dydia was an ongoing mission or observation of Lydia and Dori's relationship. Both Allison and I were devoted towards seeing how it would end up and as much as I say I don't pick sides between Dori and Stiles…I can't help but feel Dori should be with Lydia more. I was fed up of Stiles getting his heart broke, I wanted him to find someone nice, someone who understood him and liked him. (Or I told myself that at least)

"I think Lydia is opening up to Dori more…about the whole Jackass thing…but I don't know. I don't even know if Lydia is prepared to have such a change in how she views her sexuality y'know? It's not new for Dori that she's bisexual, but Lydia? It might take her some time to figure it out, if she is at all…I mean we're assuming that Lydia is in denial about her feelings…but what if it's just a case of Lydia being straight? I don't know…it's all confusing" It wasn't anyone's place to tell Lydia who she could like, what she could like…and until she came out and said 'hey! I like girls too' we weren't really in a position to say 'oh yeah, Lydia totally loves Dori'. You always wanted too of course. Wanted to be the supportive sister, the supportive friend…but I didn't know anything.

"I'd say it's about as confusing as Stiles and you."

"No. Stiles and I is simple. He's my best friend and I'm hopefully his. End of story. It's not some tragic love story of falling for your best friend and waiting for them to realise that they liked you back." I scoffed, rolling my eyes at her. Me and Stiles weren't anything…I mean we're best friends and he's pretty much my go to cuddle buddy, but we're friends. I wasn't harbouring some great never ending love for him…

"Fine, fine…I'll leave it…but the others won't."

"I know. I'm not even annoyed…I just, I don't even know anymore. But we weren't talking about that, we were talking about Dydia, Alley!" I shoved her lightly at the shoulder, and she rocked back shaking her head at me. She always had such perfect dark curls and I was tempted to ask how in the world she managed it, but knowing my luck it would be something I was way too lazy to attempt at 6:00 AM myself.

"Right, so…what's the plan?"

"I'm pretty sure Dori is doing great on her own between the not leaving her side and being ever complimentary…I honestly don't think we should interfere. Spy? Yes. Interfere? No." It was a bit like getting in the way of a cat and mouse chase. You get involved and you'll probably ruin everything, or I argued in regard to that anyway. I didn't want to interfere in their relationship. I was just really curious about it.

"Not even a little intervening? No love letters in lockers? No locking in closets?" Allison actually looked disappointed as we slumped on her bed, she looked like she had been looking forward to some daring match making escapades. Probably had images of zip wires and secret spy missions in her head, which I wasn't going to deny would be the best thing I could possibly, ever be a part of. But I doubted I was graceful enough, I was clumsy under pressure…I'd definitely give us away.

"Dori has done enough love letters herself…we should just let it play out, y'know, besides shouldn't we be giggling over Scott and you?" I wiggled my eyebrows at her suggestively, poking her in the side with a laugh. She would deny that she liked talking about her and Scott, but she really did enjoy it and anyone could tell.

"…I think I already do more than enough giggling…" Leaning back against a pillow I watched her smile to herself, and blush a deep pink that filled her cheeks. It was the sort of blush you knew was because they really liked someone.

"You do, but it's kind of adorable- _'oh his eyes, his hair, his smile! Save me from this sweet torture!'_ " I raised a hand to my forehead and the other over my heart, playfully swooning.

"Hey!" A pillow collided with me once, twice, three times. It kept coming and each time I couldn't help the laughter that left me as Allison assaulted me with something so soft. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" I cried out and slowly the pillow assault stopped, and we sat there giggling at the fact Allison was love struck and I was weak to pillows. Maybe it was my kryptonite?

"Allison, dinner's read-oh! I didn't realise you had a friend over…" I shot up, looking to the doorway. Stood there was a tall, lithe woman with golden locks. There was a complete confidence in her stance even with the shock of finding someone in Allison's room. She seemed relatively young and cheerful compared to Allison's father, the smirk on her face was evidence of that. Something about her screamed 'Dori' at me and I wasn't sure if it was just the confidence or something else, but she reminded me so much of my sister.

"Uh, Aunt Kate, this is Charlotte…Charlotte this is my Aunt Kate" Allison awkwardly introduced the two of us and I was amazed that this lady was old enough to be her aunt, although I could certainly see where Allison got her looks from. Her aunt was amazingly pretty.

"Hi…" I waved awkwardly, and quickly trying to fix my hair by flattening it down and away from its disarrayed curls as if I could make myself more presentable all of a sudden. As if it would matter.

The best way I could describe the grin that was sent my way was as unsettling. I'm not even sure why it was unsettling there was just something predatory in it…and not in a creepy way either, in a calculating way. But maybe I was overthinking again? "She's adorable, she's like a rabbit…all skittish, don't worry we don't bite! C'mon, dinner's ready, girls!" People compared me to animals quite frequently, but there was just something overall uncomfortable about that whole sentence. I put it down to nerves of meeting a new person and watched her saunter out of the room with all the confidence of a runway model.

"That is your aunt?" I stared at the empty doorway, blinking slowly. That was not the type of aunt I was used to seeing, she was intimidating as much as she was admirable. I was completely envious of the confidence with which she moved. It was like she glided. It was the sort of walk Lydia had perfected over the years, the one that had everyone turning their head to watch her as she walked by.

"Yeah."

"She's…interesting…" Interesting was perhaps lightly putting it, but I wasn't about to think too heavily on her aunt especially with a house full of guns…it could simply be that that put me ill at ease. It was easy to forget the guns in the house when I was giggling with Allison, less so when an adult entered the room.

"Yeah." She rolled her eyes at me in good humour and I shuffled after her as she left the room.

It felt like an abundance of pressure was resting on my shoulders as I followed her down the stairs and into a dining room that was probably more lavish than most. I was used to eating in Stiles' case file covered dining room or even on Scott's sofa or in my room. Family meals were becoming less common in my house and even when they were around our dining room was nowhere near as extravagant as the Argent's. It was like something out of home living magazine. It, however, couldn't compare to sitting down across from Kate, next to Allison and surrounded by her parents.

I'd learnt within 5 seconds of being seated at the dinner table that Allison's fiery haired mother was intimidating to say the least. When I say intimidating I mean she seemed like she might just turn into a fire breathing dragon and roast me alive at any second. I wasn't sure if it was the almost static evil eye that she just seemed to have or the stern mouth that never frowned or smiled. I was finding it increasingly hard to understand how she was Allison's mother they just didn't seem at all alike…at least Mr Argent smiled sometimes, and made jokes, even if they were morbid and about running over my friends.

"So, you're friends with Scott?" I looked over at Mrs Argent slowly, taking a careful sip from my glass. Not only had I been interrogated on my drug habits which as I had said were limited to my medication and caffeine in the mornings, but I was now being asked about Scott…which given the recent events was perhaps a topic I would have loved to ignore with everything I had. Talking about how two of your friends possibly might end up having sex with one of your friends parents really wasn't on the list of things I wanted to do in my lifetime. It was in fact on the list of NEVER-EVER-DO-THIS! Bolded, highlighted, and underlined multiple times for emphasis on how much I should not do that or anything on the list at all.

"Uh…yeah, he's my friend." I stuffed a piece of lettuce into my mouth and awkwardly chewed around it; as a rule green things were not something I enjoyed that included lettuce, but it'd do most things in that moment to avoid the conversation I knew was fast approaching and much like a runaway train I could do nothing to stop it at all. All I could do was watch as it crashed into me at 200 MPH. This was perhaps the one time I was going to curse Allison in all of my life; firstly for taking a bloody condom and secondly for inviting me to stay for dinner. I would have been happy cooking up some grub at home and hiding away in a corner to relive my experience at the Argent household rather than being trapped there to watch all this unfurl into a cacophony of horrific embarrassment and possibly threats on Scott's life.

"So…you're aware of last night then?" I almost choked on the piece of greenery in my mouth, blinking owlishly up at the stern looking women before swallowing my food harshly. Last night almost sounded like a mass murder or some other horrific event coming from her mouth. Dinner with the Argent's wasn't like dinner with the Stilinski's. Heck I'd take dinner with my mother at the moment then this-at least I knew she wasn't going to get a machine gun and shoot everyone.

"Yes, I'm aware…why?" I'm sure, judging by Kate's smirk that my voice had risen a few octaves in anxiety and I was itching to grab my phone and send Stiles an SOS. He said he'd protect me right? Well I could do with some of that passionate friendship right now…I could also do with any form of distraction, a car crash, a random dog running to the house, a whole town fire! Anything!

"Oh, just wondering. So if we ever need to… _get a hold_ of Scott, we can talk to you?" The long pause before she continued was menacing. This was a mother who was going to shoot Scott if he ever hurt Allison or even perhaps kissed her again. It was almost in a way a threat to me, while not directly, I was still threatened by the prospect of one of my boys getting hurt and there was the teasing edges of anger at the back of my mind, that I did my best to ignore. It wasn't as if she would actually hurt him…I mean she's a law abiding citizen right? I mean… _Jesus_ …my friend had the most terrifying parents around and I wasn't even going to be able to avoid seeing them again. I might need to buy a baseball bat to keep by my bed.

"I guess, I mean I'm not always sure where he is. Mostly that's Stiles' job, and I'm back up for when Stiles does something stupid…" I rambled on, stabbing at the salad in front of me and resisting the urge to run out the door. It was a time when I really wished Stiles had done something stupid and came crashing through the door, I would even take an impromptu arrival from Jackass, anything to get me away from this whole conversation. I certainly didn't want Allison's mum contacting me to kill Scott. I'd end up warning him and I'd then get killed…it'd be like a bad re-enactment of Stalin's Russia with less Russians, less moustaches, and overall more modern weapons.

"Stiles?" I almost slide down in my seat at the name realising that was going to get another person involved in the heavily weaponised family of 'suburban Americans'. I was wondering if I should just run off to Alaska already, go live in a cave with a bear, eating berries for survival. It might be preferable to the many ways I'm sure Allison's family could kill me.

"Charlotte's bo-best friend, he's Scott's lifelong friend…" I glared at Allison next to me at her near 'slip-up' by which I mean she was about to tease me and sacrifice me to the wolves to remove the tension from the air. As much as I had been compared to a rabbit that evening I wasn't especially fond of getting eaten by a pack of wolves or anything or anyone…Being eaten was another thing on my list of 'Do Nots' along with swimming with Sharks, going anywhere near a clown, and following the creepy noises if I was alone at home. Yes, I'm getting that bat with my first pay check.

"I'm sensing a story there…" Kate smirked in my direction and I gulped…I really didn't want anyone to go into the deep and inner workings of my very Simple friendship with the Sheriff's son…especially not with gun wielding people who scare me more than half the things I'm scare of (and I'm scared of a lot of things if we hadn't been able to tell!).

"Nope. No story at all! Completely story free!" I laughed nervously in my seat. A heavy silence fell over the table once again. The type of silence you only really see in movies and doubt you'll ever experience. The silence where you can hear the tiniest of sounds, feel the most miniscule of movements, and see the smallest of details. It was the type of silence that had all your muscles tensing and you developing neck ache as you hardly moved apart from a fork and a knife against a plate. It was a horrific silence and it enveloped us so completely that I felt that I could simply slip away in the quiet and run half way across town and hide under the Sheriff's desk.

Allison, at least, seemed equally uncomfortable with how the dinner had gone and even angry at the silent threat made against Scott…whether she picked up on it as dramatically as I did or not I'm not sure, but she knew something wasn't at least right in that department. I really didn't hate Allison's family, but I couldn't say I wanted to play happy families and sit and chat with them. It wasn't like when I chatted to Melissa McCall or John Stilinski, they were friendly, down to earth people who could light up your world with a word or a smile. They were people who worked with the public. People who cared and you knew they cared…Allison's parents were more straight-laced, more regimented. Stern. Not warm.

You have no idea the relief I felt when the time came that I could easily and politely excuse myself and say my goodbyes, it was getting late in the evening and with the curfew and the dark it was reasonable that I would want to go home.

"I have to go…thank you for the dinner, Mrs Argent, it was lovely meeting you all" Overstatement of the century, it was not in fact lovely to meet you all. It was in fact horrifying to meet you all, please don't kill me. I worried for a second that Mrs Argent could read my mind, until she merely smiled with strained politeness at where I stood by the front door. As she did that my phone buzzed in my pocket and I opened a text, shaking my head at its contents.

"Do you really have to go?" I looked up at Allison and the puppy eyes that her and Scott's kids would probably inherit and swallowed deeply before nodding my head. I wasn't staying there any longer…besides I was needed.

"Unfortunately according to our dear Scott, Stiles has his head stuck in between two fence posts…so yes, I need to go buy some butter or soap or something to get him free…" I wasn't making it up either, the text clearly depicted the scene and that they needed some help before the Sheriff or one of the deputies found them. I parted from Allison with a hug and quickly headed out the door.

My evening wasn't over yet: I needed to save Stiles from his fence prison and then I needed to go check on Dori and then I could finally collapse in my bed. Sometimes I wondered when my life ever got this hectic, but then I guess it was the moment I started school? Having friends tended to cause stress, anxiety, and no free time apparently, or at least when you had troublesome friends like mine.


	16. Chapter 16

" _What?_ " I was pulling my shoes on, mobile phone wedge between my ear and my shoulder as I forced my foot into the converse. The voice on the other end sounded disgruntled, unhappy, as if what I'd just told Stiles was the end of the world, the reason we were all going to die…which would be a great exaggeration.

"I said I'm hanging out with Scott today, are you okay? You sound a little off…" It was a Saturday which meant I had loads of free time and no way to spend it. Lately I'd been incredibly social, but there was a certain floppy haired boy I wanted to laze about with. Scott had been asking me to spend time with him for the past two days, probably because we hadn't really had much time to see each other…and while I had every intention of inviting a certain pair of Wonder twins round mine tomorrow as Norman, mum, and Dori were out and I didn't wish to be alone, I also needed something to do on my Saturday and spending some time with Scott seemed like a decent way to spend it, Plus I'm sure he needed to get Thursday off his chest.

" _I'm fine._ " It was curt. A quick end to the words and a hint of annoyance in them…I didn't want to annoy Stiles…I didn't even understand why he was so upset! Was it because I was hanging out with Scott and not him? Was he just in a bad mood? Either way I wasn't really appreciating the tone of voice directed at me. I wasn't Professor Snape for God's sake!

"Stiles?" I stood straight, my shoes finally on and held my phone to my ear while leaning against my door frame. You couldn't blame me for being concerned.

" _I'm fine._ " You know that heavy feeling in your chest, the one that feels like maybe you could cry, but not really, but something is definitely not right? It has you choking up a little and you want it to go away because it's more of an ache than an actual pain? That's what I was feeling right then.

"Sti-"

I was cut off. He never cut me off, not like that at least- usually it was because he got too excited about something that happened or something happened that he wanted to check out…"Look I've got to go." I looked down at my phone. The call ended…he hung up on me. What had I done? I mean last I checked it wasn't a crime to hang out with Scott-I'd done it before, so why was this any different? Maybe he was just busy and something was making him antsy and I just got in the way? Yeah, I mean I promised I wouldn't start making assumptions that it was my fault again after last time…It couldn't have been me. We were fine last night, laughing away when I finally got his head unstuck from a set of metal fence posts. Which let me just tell you was harder than you think, especially knowing that the Sheriff or a deputy could drive by at any moment.

I brushed the incident off as best I could. If I dwelt on it nothing good was going to happen and I really, really wasn't fond of having another 'ignore Stiles for weeks on end' incident. I had learnt from last time that I found it hard to ignore either of my best friends, and it kind of felt like being run through with a lightsabre. I'd rather not go through it again and I'm sure neither would they.

It was with that in mind that I made my way the downstairs and rushed out to my car...the thought that Stiles was upset, whether with me or someone else, made me incredibly uncomfortable. There was a brawl going on in the back of my mind between going to Scott's and running to off to check on Stiles. It was…unsettling, but it wasn't so bad that I couldn't ignore it. I kept most of my concentration on the road and the day I was getting to spend with puppy-dog-eyes McCall. I couldn't go running off to Stiles every time he got in a huff; I had other friends too and my commitments to them were just as important…even if it wasn't the ideal situation to be in. I was stuck between two friends and I didn't like it. Especially when those two friends were childhood buddies.

The road was quiet as I drove to Scott's. It was October time and the leaves were falling off the trees in brown bundles and the air was chillier. I'd taken to wearing woollen jumpers or zipping up Stiles-my- hoodie to fend off the cold. I'd also started fighting with Norman over putting the heating on, it was the only thing we disagreed on. He wanted to save power and I wanted to be warm…I probably wouldn't be allowed to put it on without complaint until mid-November time. As I pulled up in front of the McCall residence I turned off the car engine and let out a large breath, leaning back into my chair. Today had a bad start, hopefully it would brighten up.

"Are you okay, sweetheart?" I jumped out of my seat, the seatbelt pulling me back harshly in the chair and causing me to whine at the pain in my collar bone. I turned to my open window, a hand clutching at my chest as if I'd just had a heart attack (which I might have, _Jesus Christ on a bike_ ). Melissa McCall was there resting her folded arms on the open window frame, a concerned look across her features that were so similar to Scott's. It was almost scary how similar the two of them were; Scott was definitely his mother's boy.

"Mrs McCall? Aren't you supposed to be working?" I didn't quite know her work hours and I'm sure I could be completely wrong. In fact I just about knew my own work hours...sometimes I realised just how little I know. I was pretty good when it came to school knowledge, but people? Practical stuff? I'd ask someone else for help...although I'd been thinking about looking at engineering since I had a feeling my car might break and I needed to know a thing or two about fixing it…maybe. Or the Jeep would break again, that poor old girl, and I really didn't want to be stranded in the woods again-I still needed to buy myself a bat after that incident.

"I was just on my way out when I saw you sat here...but back to my question...Charlotte, are you okay?" Was I okay? I wasn't bad. I wasn't good. I was confused at times and Stiles was in a horrific mood and mum and I had spent little time around each other and I might be doing badly in Maths and just about passing…I was stressed...It was an all-around mixture of school, friends, home, and the fact I felt like something was going on behind my back…added to the fact there was still a killer person or thing on the loose.

"To be honest?" She gave me the mum look that screamed 'you better tell me, young lady'. I looked away from her sighing heavily, before turning my eyes back to her brown ones that were incredibly familiar. "I don't know..."

"Hey...you're a teenager...things rarely don't go wrong...but it'll sort itself out. Nothing can stay bad forever…" A hand reached out to rest comfortingly on my shoulder, squeezing it gently in a reassuring manner. I appreciated the presence of both Mrs McCall and the Sheriff in my life, they had this way of being that provided support, but you knew better then to cross the lines they set in the sand. With Norman being more like a hippie friend and mum and I not talking I liked having that adult contact. Especially since they seemed to know what they were doing with their lives…

"Thanks, Mrs McCall..." I smiled at her with genuine appreciation; I was glad for the advice, even if it sounded like something out of a fortune cookie or a horoscope. Although I did have a recent obsession with horoscopes, even if I was nowhere near as hardworking as they painted me. (I wish I was that dedicated to my work, I might actually get homework done way in advance then!)

"You're welcome, the door is unlocked so just let yourself in, okay?" I nodded as she left patting the roof of the car. I winced as the old metal banged and creaked, but my spirits felt lifted by Melissa McCall's kindness. Leaving my car, I watched Mrs McCall drive out onto the road and into the distance, drying and dying leaves whirling about in the autumn wind.

The pathway up to the house needed sweeping, leaves littered it and made the most entertaining crunchy sound as I walked over and through them. I didn't bother knocking the front door when I reached it, simply turning the handle and pushing. As she had said the front door was unlocked and swung open easily for me. "Scotty?" I called out to the quiet house trying to figure out where my friend was hiding. I hoped he was actually in…I already felt like I'd broken in because I'd opened the front door myself.

"Up here!" I followed the yell up the stairs and along the corridor. At the very end was Scott's room and I stood in his doorway, leaning one shoulder against the door frame. Scott himself was laying atop his bed completely lax. I wasn't sure if he'd gone through hell or he was just incredibly relaxed, but I knew some of it had to do with the Argent Family dinner and there was probably other stuff I didn't know about, what with the boys sneaking around at random hours of the day and night. I was kind of upset that I wasn't apart of whatever they were…even if I knew it was probably something dangerous and/or stupid.

"You okay, buddy?" As I spoke and took steps to enter the room, Scott lifted his head and looked at me...for a second I thought those agitated brown eyes were yellow...I really needed some sleep. I was starting to see things, I shook my head blinking quickly. They were brown again. Definitely needed sleep, or the opticians. I would go to Specsavers, but I'm not sure there is one in America…

"I guess, other than the fact Allison's father might kill me!" He groaned as if he was some sort of Nazgul and dropped his head back to the bed pathetically. I sat beside his prone form with crossed legs, patting his head. He really didn't have the best luck at that dinner, but I knew he wasn't blaming Allison, he liked her too much for that…and he always seemed to see the best in people and blame himself instead. Scott really had a hero complex.

"He might only maim you brutally...or even worse you'll get _'the talk'_ " It was a worrying fact of life that Allison's father was an army grade weapon owning stern man who was without a doubt terrifying. He was like the freaking Hunter from Jumanji. Although I definitely preferred him to her mum, her mum had eyes that literally screamed 'serial killer'…they were just so cold. _Ugh!_ It made me shiver just thinking about it, she was a women I definitely didn't want to be alone with.

"That was very encouraging." He groaned out sitting up next to me. I felt some sympathy for Scott, but I was also finding his predicament amusing. Having your kind of girlfriend admit to having stolen a condom in front of her parents was…it was pretty much day time television levels of cringe worthy hilarity. I was wondering if I should just get a camcorder and start taping 'the Misadventures Of Scott McCall and Allison Argent' I bet I could make a few bob off of it.

"I try, Scott m'boy...I try" A silence fell over us…but Scott's room was interesting enough to distract myself with; it was a bunch of random objects collected together like the guitar that he could hardly play and one of Stiles' chess boards, there were even photos of the three of us that I didn't even know had been taken…which would explain why I wasn't looking at the camera in all of them. They were those candids where everyone was doing their own thing and they had a natural warmth in them. I might just have to steal a copy or two for my wall.

"So what's wrong?" I was staring at a photo on the wall of my favourite duo from when they were younger probably even more trouble than they were now, when I felt Scott's eyes on me. I must have been frowning or maybe I just looked less chipper than usual- Scott wasn't the most observant human being in the world, but this time he'd noticed. Which meant either he was getting more perceptive or I was getting more obvious. I wasn't sure which idea I preferred.

"Nothing!" My voice was filled with fake cheer. I didn't want to bring up this morning with Scott...it was just me being silly and anxious and I didn't want to bother him when we were supposed to be spending time together. I just wanted us to hang out and do something silly, I wanted to talk about good things and not bad things…

"C'mon...I know when something's wrong...speak to me..." It was an odd thing having those sad eyes turned to me for once. The concern was humbling and as I leant my head against his shoulder I felt the words rise in my throat.

"I think Stiles is angry at me...he hung up on me before I left the house." He'd hung up and he'd seemed angry...it'd been worrying at best and complete anxiety inducing at worst. I wasn't used to him being angry at me and I was also aware I always thought the worst when it came to friendships. I wasn't sure if I was making it up or of he was genuinely angry at me. I didn't want to jump to conclusions, but I couldn't help it.

"Hey...Stiles can never be angry at you. Neither of us can...he was probably just in a bad mood." An arm wrapped around my shoulder and dragged me into a reassuring side hug. Scott was a kid you knew was strong from the moment you saw him, but his hugs weren't hard and unwelcoming, they were the friendly hugs that you needed when you were down. Scott was a good guy and I didn't give him enough credit for it.

I can't imagine that they could never get angry at me, but I felt myself relax at the words. It was that simple thoughtless kindness that made Scott so likeable. It made him the type of person you knew would probably jump in front of a car for you. He was just selfless.

For a short while we simply sat there in a reasonably comfortable silence. The type that had you smiling slightly to yourself and had me realising how integrated my friends has become in my life. They were such a large part of my life now that, whether it was studying in my free period with Lydia or stealing food off the boys, I doubted I'd ever be able to just go back to never knowing them all. I'd miss them so desperately if they just disappeared altogether one day. They were a staple part of my life in America. They taught me what I didn't know and they helped me grow.

You know when you have those really random thoughts, ideas, or questions and usually you can stop them from exiting your mouth because well they were probably stupid and you didn't need people to know just what was going on in that big head of yours…well today was not a normal day and I had apparently once again lost whatever control over my mouth I had. I really needed to talk to someone about that…

Pulling myself away from Scott's shoulder, I poked him in the stomach and stood up to move a little. My leg had gone a little numb… "Do you think you'd be able to carry me...?" I hadn't met many people I'd trust to carry me or that could…I mean I wasn't the lightest girl in the world, and usually I was the one carrying people. Although I doubt I could carry Scott, I wasn't that strong…I could just about pick up Dori and she was pretty light as people go.

"What? Like a piggy back?"

"Yeah." I nodded, twisting my hands together. There was something about having asked such an off topic question that had me worrying over nothing. But then I guess I was a natural born worrier. If there was a thing to worry about then I was probably worrying about it.

"Sure, I could carry you!" He scoffed. I watched Scott stand up and face me arms wide open and a big grin on his tanned face. The only thought other than that he needed a haircut was 'oh no'…because I knew exactly what was coming. "Come here" Hands motioned me forward and I bounced on the spot anxiously, rolling my neck and turning my head to give him a look that probably said more than words could.

"Scott..." I wasn't looking forward to the idea of being dropped on my head and I wasn't looking forward to the idea of finding out that not even Scott the big bad Lacrosse player could pick me up. Insecurities really would take flight if that happened-I wasn't really looking for a confirmation of insecurities right now…but it was still incredibly tempting. I hadn't been picked up in years.

"C'mon, trust me."

"It's not that I don't trust you…" I rubbed the back of my neck looking up at him. I was conflicted and I was so tempted to take the offer…but I was also apprehensive as well. Scott looked like he might just pick me up anyway if I didn't say yes.

"C'mon, I promise I won't drop you." I sighed heavily at him and his begging face that I'm pretty sure he perfected as a child, before I walked towards him slowly. "How do you want me to do this?" You're probably thinking there aren't that many ways to give a piggy back, but trust me I know of at least two.

"Just get behind me and jump, I'll catch you." Scott seemed so sure that he could catch me and it was a tiny bit reassuring. That didn't mean I didn't still have images of myself falling to the floor in various painful ways in my head…because I did and they were quite vivid images as well. Images that ended with me sat on a hospital bed in front of Mrs McCall explaining that her son had dropped me from a great height and thus had destroyed me.

"You better, Scotty" Standing behind Scott had me realising that I was in fact quite small. Luckily Scott bent at the knees so I wouldn't be leaping a great deal in the air just to try and reach his back.

Scott counting to 3 before I jumped was fine, until I actually did jump up with my hands on his shoulders. I was pretty sure my life flashed before my closed eyelids at that point and the wince on my face stayed there for a good few seconds before I realised that I was in fact being held up quite steadily and quite comfortable by my friend. I was actually elated to say the least.

"See, I told you I wouldn't drop you!" Scott twisted his head around to look up at me from where I was perched and I rolled my eyes at him and his smug tone, shifting slightly from my place to get a better grip around him. I was up there now and I didn't want to come down in a painful way just because I wasn't secure.

"Whatever, onwards great steed!" I lifted an arm pointing forward as if I was holding a sword, which I kind of wanted to have, and practically kicked Scott into a light jog. He was at first grumbling about how I abused his friendship as we did laps around the small space in his room, but eventually we both dissolved into laughter…it reminded me of being five again.

Scott set me back down and collapsed on his bed, probably looking like little kids who were all tuckered out. "You know…I haven't had a piggy back since I was probably five…"

"Yeah?" I pulled myself up into a seated position and messed with a fold in his bed cover. I didn't talk about serious stuff with Scott. I had a therapist and when Stiles bugged me enough and wheedled it out of me I had him to talk to about all sorts of malarkey that was floating around in my head. Scott usually was saved from that sort of thing, but this time I knew he'd understand completely and utterly…

"My dad…he used to pick me up and carry me everywhere we went, even if it was just to dinner…" Talking about dad was a sore spot of mine, but I knew both Scott and I had a similar situation. Only I had a Step Dad and he didn't. "…and then about a year before he left he just stopped; he told me I was too old to be carried…" I believed him. Had I been older I would have maybe seen it as a sign that he would leave.

I didn't hate my dad, I loved my dad, and I wanted him back, but that didn't make him abandoning me any easier to deal with. Losing a parent isn't an easy thing, but losing someone because they didn't want you anymore is the worst. You starting thinking it's your fault. You start wondering if they ever loved or cared about you and sometimes you just can't hate them for what they've done.

"It's not your fault you know…that he left. It's his fault. He left. You didn't make him…just like I didn't make my dad leave." I glanced up at Scott, his brow was set and his jaw was clenched. He knew exactly what I was thinking and I wondered if he'd been there before, if at one point he'd asked if it was his fault.

"But…what if I did do something, Scott?" I rubbed a hand under my glasses. I hated that one person could ruin you so easily. Would I have been less anxious? Less scared? Less insecure if my dad hadn't left? Maybe. Did I wish for that? I'm not sure. Would I have wanted to be a different person entirely just so I could grow up properly with my dad or would I rather he still left me? There probably wasn't a right answer to that.

"You were a kid. Whether you did anything or not, you were just a kid and he left, okay?" It was at that moment that perhaps I started to truly believe that I wasn't the one at fault. Maybe I still wondered if he had left because I'd forced him away…but that didn't mean that I had to feel guilty for him buggering off and leaving his family behind. Leaving mum behind.

"Okay…" I smiled tightly up at him and Scott gave me a reassuring one in return that looked so much like Melissa's. The more I think on it, the more I realise that Scott is so selfless because his mum is. She's a nurse, she dedicates her life to helping people no matter who they are. He was bound to turn out unbelievably kind.

"Want to order pizza?" Scott held up a phone, shaking it slightly in the air as if I was a dog and it was bone…which considering I was being offering food was probably a quite apt analogy, heavy conversation topic or not I was always up for food. Especially if it was to get over the previous tension filled chat.

"Chinese?" I wasn't feeling the pizza vibe tonight, mainly because every time I got together with one of the boys it was pretty much guaranteed that pizza would be on the menu unless I was cooking something. Sometimes I wanted something with noodles and curry.

"Spring rolls?" If there was one thing I talked about craving a lot during school, particularly during maths lessons for some reason, it was spring rolls…like tonnes of spring rolls or those massive ones that are fried. Just any form of spring roll was a major craving of mine. I was waiting for it to become a running joke, and I'd be okay with that as long as I got free spring rolls out of it. I would happily go from 'Locker Girl' to 'Spring Roll Girl'.

"Totally."

It was in fact sitting around Scott's dining table with a plate piled high with Chinese take away that I felt nice and comfortable and my stomach was certainly not complaining and neither was my purse, luckily Chinese was pretty cheap and gave you lots of food to gorge over.

"You gonna come round tomorrow night? I was thinking of having you and Stiles round, since Dori is going out with Lydia to mend her broken heart and Norman and Mum are going out for dinner…I don't really feel like being alone." Dori and Lydia said something about getting a movie from the rental place and binging out on Lydia's bed with a tonne of wine and food, which I had politely declined figuring that this was one of Dori's many opportunities to strut her stuff so to speak and make enough of an impression that hopefully in the future Lydia might give her a chance. And then Mum and Norman were going out for dinner and drinks, something about couple time or as Norman called it 'date night' which wasn't that common of an occurrence. It was more like 'Date once in a full moon'.

"Totally!" I should have been disgusted by the teenage boy talking with his mouth full, but I'd seen it a lot over the past month or so. It happened every now and again, kind of like the arrival of an unwanted guest who just wouldn't leave you alone, so you grow to tolerate or ignore them. "Hey…I'll say it again, Stiles isn't angry at you. He'll probably apologise soon." I placed my fork and spoon down on my plate, before returning my gaze to Scott who was looking at me as if I'd flip a lid. While I wasn't happy about the Stiles situation I was all up for having a nice dinner and not one that ended in tension.

"I hope so, otherwise it'll be a Stiles-less evening and you know how much I like my Stiles filled nights" I joked, before noticing the suggestive look and waggling eyes brows from my friend across the table. "Not like that!" Despite whatever embarrassment I had I couldn't help but laugh at how much I had put my foot in my mouth for that one. I really needed to get a filter for my brain to mouth processes!

"I'm sorry! You literally handed that to me on a plate!" Scott pointed out, a fork being waved in my direction as he practically giggled at me.

"Shut up!"

The dinner after that was filled with pleasant chatter about silly little things; Allison, Scott's inability to watch Star Wars, and even a discussion about Godzilla verses Mothra. I helped Scott clean up before heading to the door. It was about time I headed home. While it wasn't especially late I knew I had stuff to do and decided to call it a night.

"I'll see you tomorrow night yeah? Around half six should do it" Looking outside the door as I spoke I kind of wished I'd brought a warm coat and not just turned up in a hoodie. It was chilly in the doorway and it looked incredibly cold outside. It might just have been that it wasn't that light outside.

"Yeah, I'll be there, have a goodnight!"

"You too, say hi to your mum for me." I threw a wave over my shoulder as I started out on the porch and down the stairs.

"Sure thing"

It wasn't especially late, but the nights were getting darker again and it was cold out. I found myself rubbing my arms on the way to my car. There was always something unsettling about walking outside at night on your own. I always felt like I was waiting for someone to mug me.

It was when I saw something flash out the corner of my eye as I reached the vehicle that I froze and turned around slowly. I squinted in the dark and stumbled back against the car door that shrieked from the impact when I saw a pair of piercing scarlet coloured eyes peering out from the collection trees and bushes beside Scott's house. When I blinked they were gone. It was like they were never there.

I scrambled into my car and took deep breaths to calm myself down before I even thought of driving home. I was scared for sure and I was definitely buying that baseball bat or even a cricket bat at my earliest convenience. Something was definitely not right about this town, including the ridiculously high death toll. Glowing eyes were either everywhere in Beacon Hills or I was seriously losing my mind. I liked to think it was the former…

The whole drive home I was jumpy; there was part of me that wanted to look at the woods surrounding me to search for some red eyed creature, but the larger part of my soul was screaming at me to get the hell out of dodge and not become a Nedry like character only to get killed by some weird ass dinosaur that was stalking me.

As soon as I pulled up into the drive and got through the front door, I practically bolted up the stairs to my room. I took me a good few minutes to calm down and think rationally before I noticed a little parcel and a note on my desk. It wasn't there when I left which meant that someone had dropped it off into my room when I was gone.

The parcel didn't look like anything special; brown parcel paper wrapped tightly and closed with celotape. I left it where it was and grasped the folded piece of paper, opening it up to read it. ' _I thought you might like it, mum x_ '. Mum. Mum had gotten me something? I guess it was a sign that she didn't hate me, that she wasn't angry at me anymore. I hoped. I picked up the small parcel, examining it in my hands before carefully peeling away the layers of tape and paper.

Inside was a book, it was wrapped in an old and worn cover and I realised it was journal. Not a normal book. I flicked to the front page I was very shocked to see the name that stood out in calligraphic writing and I knew that I'd never received a more thoughtful gift. The name was _Leonard Ernest Long_ , my Great Grandfather. You might be wondering why that was so important, what made a journal so important? The starting date 1914. That's what made it so important. For a year or two I'd been searching for any family history and all I knew was that my Great Grandfather was in the Great War…I knew little else about him. Now I had his life quite literally in the palm of my hand and it was amazing.

I placed the book carefully back down on my desk before practically skipping my way downstairs, and swinging around the banister, on my way to the living room. When I reached the room I saw Norman sat lazing on the sofa in his pajamas, with a movie playing on the TV and a 'healthy' sized bowl of popcorn in his lap.

"Norman?"

"Yeah?" His head swivelled around to look at me, a kind smile gracing his aging features. Norman was nearing half a century and had the laugh lines to prove that he was in fact a very laid back man. I doubt he'd ever been anything but.

"Is mum here?" I wanted to thank her. I wanted to talk to her. It was hard without some sort of spark to talk to her now and that journal had been the spark I needed to start a flame.

"No, she just went to work before you got in, why?" A flame which was doused rather quickly. She wasn't here, of course she was at work all she ever did now was work. Maybe she didn't want to face me yet. I understood that. Maybe she was just as uncomfortable talking to me as I was talking to her.

"Uh, no…no reason, don't worry about it. What're you watching?" I dismissed his question and took a step forward, distracting myself with the scene that was playing out on the television.

"Fright Night, wanna join?" He patted the space next to him as if to invite me forward and I found myself doing just that.

"Uh, sure, I could do with some 80s horror" I stumbled over my words as I spoke; Norman and I never hung out unless other family was involved. We didn't watch movies together, but that didn't mean I never wanted to. We had a relationship that was in an odd place, neither of us wanting to push the other too far.

"Good, we haven't really spent much time together lately"

"I know, I'm sorry." I sighed, slumping back into my seat and stuffing some popcorn in my mouth. Fright Night was a mind numbing movie, but maybe that's what Norman and I needed? A movie we could critique and laugh at.

"You don't need to be sorry…I don't expect you to come hang out with me. I'm your Step-dad not your best friend, that's that gangly kid's job." For the first time in a while I leant over and hugged my Step Dad. It was only a quick hug and most of it was me laughing at his description of Stiles…but it felt good to hug him and mean it. I probably took Norman for grated; the fact he was eager to help, that he was a good step father to me…the whole shebang.

It was why I sat there and made terrible jokes and comments with Norman throughout the whole movie, it's why I smiled to myself as I got dressed into my nightwear, and it's why I felt good about myself.

Until of course my phone rang. Seeing his name I contemplated not answering the phone-that maybe I should give him a taste of his own medicine, but I didn't. I answered the phone and waited for him to speak and plead his case. But I wasn't angry. I was nervous…scared even, that he was going to tell me that he was angry at me, that I'd done something wrong.

" _Hey, Lottie…_ " The words came out in a sigh, and sat in my baggy pajamas on the edge of my bed. I felt myself sink at how utterly despairing he sounded.

"What? You going to hang up on me again?" Maybe I was being harsh? I probably was. The words had a bite to them that I didn't think I possessed when it came to my friends, but apparently hurt bred volatility.

I felt bad, but that didn't erase the worry and the upset that I'd gone through that morning because he'd decided to get pissy with me. I wasn't a mind reader, I couldn't tell what was going on or why and all I could do was hope that it wasn't my fault.

" _I'm sorry…I'm sorry that I hung up on you, it's not your fault…I was…I…_ " He sounded like he might cry. That choked up sound when someone was so full of emotion-it was a sound I never thought I'd hear from Stiles and it ripped the heart out of me like I was in the Temple Of Doom. Hearing that it wasn't my fault was like massive boulder being lifted off of my chest and I breathed a sigh of relief.

"You don't have to explain yourself to me, Stiles…all you need to do is come round my house tomorrow…okay? I…I don't hate you, I'm not angry. I'm hurt." Tomorrow was going to be a fresh start or something along those lines, we'd laugh, and we'd eat food. The three of us would connect properly without other people around and hopefully I'd found out what boiled Stiles' parsnips so badly.

" _Okay…I'm…I really am sorry, Lottie._ "

"I know." I sighed, hanging up the phone and putting it on the bed side table. I knew I'd find it hard to sleep thinking that Stiles was tossing and turning in bed feeling guilty about hurting my feelings. Maybe my feelings were just too fragile? I needed to toughen up…but I don't think I could. That was Dori's domain. Not mine. I was the sensitive one. The weak one. She was strong.


	17. Chapter 17

You know when you have a bad sleep and what you dreamt about was something related to your real life? Like how you think you did badly on that biology test or how your crush just got a new girlfriend? Well to say I had a bad sleep was perhaps an accurate description and to say I had one of those realistic dreams would also be true. Except my dream wasn't about tests or crushes, my dream was a mixture of glowing red eyes peeking out from dark bushes on a cold stormy night and Stiles…Stiles yelling at me, ignoring me, telling me he didn't want to see me again. It was a nightmare except I didn't wake up scared or covered in a thin curtain of sweat. I woke up feeling normal except for the aching in my chest at the mere thought of Stiles not wanting to be my friend. He was my friend. The idea of losing him was worse than the glimpses of red eyes I'd seen haunting my movements in the dark-which I rationalised as either my overactive imagination or an albino animal of some sort.

That morning I had forced myself up and moved around like I was death warmed over. I had certainly felt like it, I still felt like it in a way. That aching in my chest wasn't as strong as when I'd woken up, but it was still there. It was soothed slightly knowing that I'd be able to talk to Stiles today…I'd be able to get yesterday sorted. There was a sense of urgency within me to fix whatever had happened. Even if Stiles had said it wasn't my fault a small part of me still doubted that, a small part of me believed I'd caused this. In reality it was all a very minor part of life…and while I said I was comfortable and secure in my friendship with Stiles and Scott…that niggling insecurity deep down within me liked to dance the jig and tell me that maybe it was all my fault. That it was always going to be my fault.

I hated that one person could fuck me up so much that I still had that bugging doubt in the back of my mind. I hated that dad had caused this in me. But I still couldn't bring myself to hate him, to forget him, to yell at the skies about what he'd done. After a good decade of living without him, of having that insecurity I was only now beginning to find it easing. And while it was hard to ignore when it was there, my friends had started beating it down and shoving it in lockers. Most likely with their baseball bats. Maybe I didn't really have anything to worry about at all? Maybe...maybe moving to Beacon Hills was just what I needed.

"Hey…" I was brought out of my musings, or more like my brooding (I was brooding more than Angel from Buffy and he was pretty damn broody) by Dori peering into the room. She looked exceedingly nice this evening, more so than normal. Her hair was down where usually it was kept up, her make-up was more apparent than normal, and her clothes were definitely not the type of clothes I'd wear to go watch movies with a friend. Although I was the type to turn up in my pajamas so I'm not sure if I should really be basing the norms of life on myself.

"Hi, you going out now?" Dori's plan for the night was to go with Lydia to rent some movies then binge out on ice-cream and wine. Lydia was still upset about Jackass breaking up with her and with the way he went around smirking at us all and generally being a douchebag it was completely reasonable that she'd be sad. Dori was hoping she'd be able to help. I would have joined them had I not already planned my own little get together.

"Yeah, are you going to be okay?" She looked visibly uncomfortable with the idea of talking about 'feelings' or whatever she was trying to get me to talk about. Dori wasn't one to come and ask me how I was…she'd let me come to her or she'd let me sort myself out. That didn't mean she didn't care, she just wasn't the most comfortable when it came to helping people cheer up. I was okay with that, sometimes I just wanted to sit and wallow in my own self-pity, although I liked a good hug every now and again (or all the time).

"Why wouldn't I be…?" I pulled at the corner of my bedding, avoiding her eyes. Dori had such blue eyes; sometimes they felt incredibly piercing, like they could see into my soul.

"I know you and Stiles are…having an odd moment," She sighed, she didn't make a move to walk further into the room and honestly I'd rather not talk about it with anyone but the boy himself. I'd rather talk to him, I'd rather find out what was going on in his head…as much as I appreciated the concern from my sister. "He-Lottie, he's worried…he does care about you and sometimes he does stupid stuf-"

I cut her off, heaving a deep breath turning to look up at her over the tops of my glasses. "Dori. I know. I know he does stupid stuff, I'm not angry…I'm scared. He's my best friend…I don't want to-I can't lose him." I didn't know when Dori and Stiles got close enough that she'd come to me to try an defend his case, but while one part of me was happy that they were getting along, another part of me was agitated by that fact…and I refused to believe the reason why.

"You're not going to." A silence fell over the two of us at her words. Maybe she was right, maybe I was overdramatising the whole situation and maybe it was as simple as apologising. Every friendship had ups and downs right? Ben and I's certainly did. Dori and I's definitely did, and yet we always came back to the point we'd started. We always come back to the middle. Maybe that's all Stiles and I needed-to come back to the middle.

I looked up from my lap when I heard her shuffling. She was leaving the doorway to go back out into the hall, but turned at the last minute looking over her shoulder at me and patting a hand uncomfortably against the wood of the door frame. "...It'll be okay, Char, just talk to him."

I smiled at her and nodded watching her leave the room. I hoped I hadn't put a dampner on her evening-after all, I knew she was looking forward to spending some alone time with Lydia. Despite their first few weeks of knowing each other involving a pool incident and Dori tiptoeing around her they'd grown into quite a strong pair. If you messed with one I had no doubt you'd be messing with the other…and in Lydia's case she'd extended that towards me as well. It was nice to have a group of friends who had that sense of protection, they weren't going to let you get hurt and you'd be damned if you let them get hurt either.

I could hear movement throughout the house; Dori skipping her way down the stairs to Lydia's car (the horn had blared once or twice in the time I'd been sat there), and Mum and Norman making their way from their room down the hall. I watched mum cross through the gap in my door, before it was opened fully by a smart looking Norman. Mum and he were having one of their 'date' nights, which very rarely happened, but consisted of dinner and lots of drinks and a taxi ride home. Norman had his only full body suit on and looked dashing in his own humble sort of way. While he was a teacher at the local Middle School he didn't often wear suits, he just wore a shirt and tie instead.

"Hey, me and you're mum are going now; are the boys are coming round?" Norman hadn't really spent any time with Scott and Stiles except for opening the door for them once or twice, but he liked them well enough and he probably heard more than enough about them on a regular basis.

"Uh, yeah, they'll be here in bit so I…I won't be alone for long" My strained smile probably said more than enough about my feelings on being left alone. After the whole creepy glowing red eyes incident the other day I'd been feeling increasingly on edge, being alone felt like a minor death sentence to be honest.

There was a brief lull in conversation and Norman hanged about shuffling in my doorway like he had more to say and I had a feeling it wasn't about me being alone or about the boys either. Norman and I had a fun relationship, kind of like Indiana and Short Round, mainly because we didn't talk about much. We didn't have serious conversations because they were hard and they weren't what we knew how to do. But I could almost feel one approaching.

"About your mum…" Norman sat beside me on the bed, he was obviously being cautious with me and I could understand why. We didn't really have heart to hearts, a simple hi here and there was enough for us. "She doesn't hate you and she's not angry…you two are just as stubborn as each other, just give it time…" I knew we were stubborn, it was like two bulls colliding horns neither of us would back down. It wasn't that I didn't want to. I loved my mum, but I just didn't know how to talk to her after all this time. A simple 'Hey, mum' didn't quite seem right.

"I know, she left me a gift the other day…I figured that she's not pissed at me anymore…" That little journal had meant more to me than most things I owned. Mum didn't always know what I cared about, she had a tendency to forget things, but she'd remembered that and that meant a great deal to me. It was like Stiles giving me his hoodie, a rush of affection filling me.

"It'll all work out in the end. We'll see you later, have fun with boys, but not too much fun!" The suggestive smirk had my mood lightening and I couldn't help but laugh at the mere idea. As if I would sleep with either of my boys. _"Norman!"_ He was laughing as he left my room, straightening out his suit as he went.

Everyone seemed to be having serious conversations with me lately, and while they weren't necessarily fun, they were needed. I was hoping to get the last serious talk over and done with today and then I could just relax with my boys. I could just go back to comfortable idiocy where they tried to convince me to do something stupid.

I sat around for a while running over what I'd say to Stiles in my head over and over again waiting. I'd given Stiles an earlier time to show up, mainly because I didn't want Scott to have to listen to me and his best friend have a rather sad talk about how he hurt me. Scott was far too happy and puppy like for me to be okay subjecting him to that.

The rumble of Stiles' jeep was a sound I'd grown attuned to, I could probably hear it no matter where I was or what I was doing. It was a sound I'd grown fond of, but now it just put vicious butterflies in my stomach and nervous shakes in my body. It was when there wasn't a single knock at the door after a good 10 minutes that I decided to walk to my window and see what he was doing. It wasn't usual for Stiles to put things of, he was overactive and quick to get things done before he lost focus again.

But there he was sitting in his jeep; his hands were flailing about as he talked to himself and it was when he was about to start the car again that I realised he was going to run away. So I ran to him instead. I wasn't one for running, in fact it was something I detested and something that my doctor had advised against mainly because of my knee problems that didn't really bother me in my day to day life. But there was no way I was letting Stiles drive away from me. I may have been worried about having this conversation as well, but I was not going to go days without seeing him or talking about it…I needed Stiles whether I wanted to admit it or not.

I nearly tripped down the stairs and out the front porch and I must have made enough noise that Stiles turned his head towards me and took his hands off the wheel. I didn't want him to go, I missed his stupid face and his stupid moles and his stupid haircut. It might have only been days since I'd last seen him, but I still missed him and the idea that he'd run from me was worse that the idea of being stuck with Jabba the Hutt.

"Stiles, open the window." I was leaning against his side of jeep, having dodged around the front of it. He wasn't looking at me, instead looking straight forward at the road, his hands wrapped around the steering wheel tightly once again. There was an odd sense of desperation welling up inside me, it wasn't something I'd ever felt so strongly before. The need to keep him there, to talk to him felt immense.

"Stiles, open the bloody window!" I was practically shouting and had to resist the urge to bang against the jeep-if I did that I'd definitely be in his bad books. I sighed in relief when the window started to wind down and I could lean into the jeep and actually talk to him, he'd turned the ignition off and the car was silent. He wasn't going anywhere.

"I'm…I…" He couldn't seem to get the words right and I reached into the jeep, curling a hand around one of his own that were still tightly wrapped around the steering wheel, pulling it free from its harsh grip. The stiffness in his hand wasn't something I was that used to. Stiff and unmovable just wasn't Stiles.

"Stiles, just come inside…please…" I watched him nod his head and backed away from the door, letting him get out before dragging him up the pathway to my house and through the still open front door and up the stairs to my room. Stiles was a smiler or a smirker, but in that moment he looked like he'd been defeated by some great enemy and I felt like I'd kicked a puppy or the puppy had kicked itself.

Watching him sit with his head in his hands was painful, but part of me was glad that he was feeling something after he hurt me. The nasty part of me was satisfied that he was upset about his own actions, the rest of me was horrified that it had such an impact on him. I wasn't sure if it was because the boys usually saw me as this figure that needed to be taken care of, who couldn't defend themselves or that it just simply upset him because it had.

"I promised I'd protect you…and look what I've done, I hurt you, Lottie…I hurt you because I was being selfish..." He croaked out and I was suddenly reminded of all those dramas Dori and I had watched and how similar this whole situation was. Sometimes I wondered if I wasn't simply in my own TV show and I just didn't know it, maybe I was…maybe in another universe someone is filming this and to them it's all a big joke and not real life.

"Selfish?"

"I- I didn't like that you were spending time with Scott and…and not me…" And that would explain why he had a problem with Scott and I hanging out yesterday. It wasn't a case of me doing anything, he was feeling…jealous? It was an odd thing to contemplate, but then I realised I knew exactly how he felt in a way. I was just as selfish with him…I just hid it better. All the times I'd gotten uppity because Dori was just talking to him…

"Stiles…You're my person…" I knelt down in front of him, pulling his hands away from his face and holding them in my own. My best friend was an idiot…"I don't like it when I hear that you and Dori are talking either…because I want to know I have that one person who is for all intents and purposes mine…so I don't care that much that you hurt me…I just, I can't lose you. _You're my person…_ " It was the first time I'd admitted to the odd sort of jealousy I'd developed. Naturally it seemed I was just that type of person, I needed to know that someone was for the majority devoted to me…I was scared of losing people and that jealously seemed to feature into that. It wasn't an attractive trait, but it seemed we both had it.

"You're my person too, Lottie…I'm sorry…" Hearing that was like a breath of fresh air. "You're my person"…it was the proof my insecurities needed that I wasn't about to lose my best friend. It was the proof that Dori was right, that everything was going to be okay even if things got more complicated, even if people kept dying, even if I kept seeing glowing red eyes and my psychiatrist was a complete creep. It was proof that I, at least, would always have Stiles 'my first name is too weird to pronounce' Stilinski beside me. Even if he was the biggest idiot I knew.

"Just come here, you big lug…" I stood up opening my arms to him and breathed in deeply when I was pulled into a big hug. Hugging Stiles was easy, comfortable, and like coming home. I always felt like staying there like that, I always wanted to be permanently in that secure, safe hold. Being wrapped up in Stiles' arms was like being under your bed covers because it just felt so natural and warm and I always had no doubt that I'd never get over how comforting it was to hug him. "Thanks, Lottie…" Stiles' voice was muffled by the fabric of my shirt as he spoke, but it didn't stop me hearing it. I pulled him tighter against me, "You're welcome, Batman."

I didn't pull away from him for a good long while, not until a loud knock sounded out from the front door, "I should go let Scott in…" It wasn't exactly the warmest time of year and we were all supposed to spend time together, bonding and what not, not just Stiles and myself as lovely as that sounded. Plus the puppy dog was too nice to keep outside. I started pulling away, but a certain pair of arms wouldn't release their hold on me. Was Stiles secretly a boa constrictor? I hoped not…I wasn't going to start feeding him mice. _Ugh._

"Do you have to?"

"Stiles, I'm not leaving our friend outside." I somehow managed to turn myself around so I was at least facing the door that would lead to my freedom and Scott McCall who was at that moment still banging on my front door.

"No." My attempts to leave the arms containing me, however, were futile. Stiles had apparently reverted back into being some sort of five year old who wouldn't let go of its teddy bear. While as I said before I enjoyed hugging my best friend, I also had another friend I wanted to let in the house and being essentially kidnapped was not on my to-do list.

"Stiles. Let me go." I sighed probably sounding like the Sheriff in that moment. I now completely understood how he probably felt half the time with Stiles, exasperated. It was like being held back by a parent when your three years old and about to do something stupid and dangerous. Having yourself tightly pressed against someone was at times lovely, but not when you wanted to get away and do something…

"Nope."

"Stiles!" I kept pushing forward and eventually he let go…and I went flying and nearly hit a wall because of how hard I was pushing to get free. "Sorry!" I huffed back at him glaring as hard as I could. Of all the times to let go it had to be when I was pushing forward exceedingly hard. That boy had no brain…or he just wanted to see me go splat face first into a wall.

Maybe I shouldn't have trusted Stiles alone in my room, but I didn't really give it too much of a thought as I made my way back downstairs to let Scott in. After all what's the worst he could do? As far as I was aware there wasn't anything overly embarrassing in my room that could possibly cause me to die in a fiery pit of awkwardness.

Scott to give him his dues didn't look too annoyed that he'd been stuck outside in the cold at nearly 7 at night. I still felt rather bad that he'd been stuck outside just because our friend was a twat, a lovable twat, but a twat nonetheless.

"Hey, Scotty! Stiles' upstairs, I'll be up in a second!" I was going to get food from the kitchen, I figured the three of us could play video games or maybe watch some Netflix all while stuffing our faces…or more like Stiles would eat everything because I was pretty sure that kid had a bottomless stomach. Maybe he didn't even have a stomach, maybe he just had a black hole instead.

"You left Stiles alone?" If I wasn't worried by the tone of voice Scott used then I'd certainly be worried by the look on his face as he walked past me. It was one of abject horror…which led to the question what trouble could Stiles possibly get up to in my room?

"Yeah…was that a bad thing?"

"No…I'm sure it's fine…" Watching Scott scramble up my stairs had me seriously reconsidering leaving Stiles alone ever again, but maybe Scott was just exaggerating? Stiles was a very Jar Jar Binks type character but it's not like he was a complete nitwit…right? Sure he was overly inquisitive and was probably going through my stuff, but I doubted I had anything of interest in my room. Unless I was forgetting something. It felt like I was forgetting something.

I shrugged the feeling off, however, and made my way to the kitchen. Our kitchen was rather typical to be honest, wood flooring that had more dents in it than was perhaps possible, light coloured walls, and rows of cabinets, among other things. It was decently sized as kitchens go and not a bad place to cook in, or in my case go grab packets of doritos out of the cupboard and some pre bought popcorn.

Carrying an armful of food up a set of stairs was actually surprisingly hard, mainly because I couldn't see where I was putting my bloody feet and I must have had some form of good luck to make it up them without tripping once. Walking into my room however had me immediately dropping all the food from my arms. Why?

Stiles and Scott were stood looking about as guilty as you could and not only was there a little pink bag discarded on my bed, but a certain piece of lacy, transparent, red 'clothing' if you could even call it that, was currently in Stiles' hands.

"Oh my god…" And I think I figured out what I'd forgotten about. Of all the places that Stiles had to nose about it had to be underneath my bed. It was a simple matter of not wanting people to know I even owned the bloody thing, let alone the fact the two boys I knew had to find it. I was going to write Lydia a strongly worded letter and leave it in her locker at some point about how she ruined my life with her choice in underwear.

"W-why?" Although Stiles had difficulties actually getting his words out he still apparently wasn't putting the underwear down…I really wish he'd put it down, it was the last thing on earth I wanted to see in his hands.

"Lydia bought it, okay?! I didn't want it! Hence why it was under my bed!" He obviously had exhausted every other space in the room to look before he even decided under the bed was a good decision. I snatched the fabric from Stiles' hands and shoved it back in its bag before deciding a better place to put the thing was hidden under all my onesies in my wardrobe rather than under the bed.

"Why's Lydia buying you lingerie?" Scott had his usual look of confusion pasted across his face. If there was one thing we had in common, it was that half the time neither of us knew what was going on or why anything was happening. In this case none of us knew the answer to that question-not even me.

"Scott…if I knew the answer I'd tell you…" I started picking the packets of crisps and popcorn up off of the floor where I'd unceremoniously dropped them in my complete and utter terror. I was less horrified now and more shamefully embarrassed. Nobody wanted their best friends finding their underwear.

"So you haven't worn it?"

"No, Stiles. I haven't." I rolled my eyes so hard it almost hurt, even more so when I turned around to face him, "Don't look so disappointed, Jesus". One day I'd have to come to terms with the fact that my best friend was the definition of horny teenage boy…I wasn't sure how I felt about that to be honest with you. At least Scott kept his perversions quiet, unlike Stiles and Dori. I was unfortunate enough that our walls were thin in this house… _I should really buy earplugs…_

"So…what're we supposed to be doing?" Stiles was frowning like a kicked puppy refusing to speak, while Scott just looked confused by the fact we were all just stood there. I guess I hadn't really given them an itinerary of what was going to happen that evening. I just figured all three of us could mess about, eat some food, and possibly prank call Dori and Lydia.

"You have a choice; Video games or Netflix?"

"Games" "Netflix" and that decided that then. For lifelong friends they had some severely different tastes and opinions and it was still a wonder that Scott hadn't watched Star Wars! I was pretty sure he was just a ninja at avoiding it, maybe he had a whole action plan for never watching the movies?!

"Games first and then Netflix it is!" I cheered and Stiles had seemingly come out of his mini frowning match and was instead bounding over to my pile of games and sifting through them. I wasn't especially good at games, but I enjoyed them…which meant they'd probably both beat my arse into the ground, but at least we'd have fun and hopefully no one would get hurt! Although I couldn't guarantee that with Stiles being possibly one of the most competitive people around Beacon Hills. If he actually got on the Lacrosse field he might do some good.

Apparently Mario Kart was chosen because and I quote "I don't want to beat you too bad, Lottie." If you think that didn't give me the edge I needed to win then you'd be right. I did sit there and I did my damnedest to win the bloody race, but rainbow road was literally a nightmare and while my in real life driving was at least decent it seemed my gaming driving wasn't nearly as good.

"No, no, no! Scott!" And there I go straight off the road and into the deep dark vacuum that is space and thusly I was in eighth place. Scott, if you're wondering, was in third and Stiles? Was in first. To say he wasn't shoving it in our faces would be a complete lie because he was doing just that.

"Looks like I'm going to win!" We were all sat on the floor to make it fair, something about height advantages or something along those lines. I didn't question the logic, but I did thank it because it meant I could ram my shoulder (probably not as hard as I imagined it) into Stiles' every time he made a comment like that. I mean I knew he was going to win, but I wanted the hope of beating him to remain till then end even if I was in eighth place!

"Shut up!" I was beginning to trail further behind and Stiles literally just lapped me. I really wished I had bullet bill or something equally as advantageous in that moment. I didn't want to lose to this jerk, as much as I loved him I didn't want to lose to him.

"Sorry, that I'm just so freaking good!" I wanted to wipe that smug half smile off his face, but at the same time I was grudgingly impressed with Stiles' ability to play Mario Kart…I wish I had that level of skill then I could win tournaments and earn cash from just sitting around and life would be solid.

"You're not that good!"

"I'm the Mario Kart God! Nothing can stop me!" Stiles lowered his voice to a weirdly godlike level and I had to do a double check because I wasn't sure if he'd suddenly turned into Zeus or not. Although labelling himself as god got him another shoulder shove that was more like a full body shove and had literally no effect on his gaming ability at all.

"Scott stop him!" Scott was gaining on Stiles in second place and all my hopes rested on that one boy beating Stiles and taking the crown instead. If I couldn't beat him that Scott had to do it for me!

"I'm trying!" Scott turned to me taking his eyes off the screen for a good few seconds, "Try harder!" I was pretty sure I was going to hoarse after this round of screaming about Stiles and screaming at Scott and just loads of screaming. And not the good kind either!

And then the screen changed and guess who was in the last place? Me. Scott came fourth and Stiles came first...hence the following loud, "WOOOO!" and the jumping up and down with his arms raised and generally asking us to get him a medal and call him God.

"Oh my god…why didn't you stop him?!" I was grasping at Scott t-shirt, almost shaking him. But that boy was solid as a rock and I doubt I could really move him unless he wanted to be moved because damn he was heavier than anything and pretty strong too as I found out when I got that damn awesome piggy back the other day.

"I tried!"

I collapsed back down, leaning against the side of my bed and wondering if Stiles would ever get over this triumph of his. Probably not, but at the very least we all seemed to be stuffing our faces and having a good time.

It was at that moment that my phone decided to go off and I scrambled across the carpet to pick it up in time. It was Dori. "Hey, what's up?" I was slightly out of breath from my run across the floor and I probably sounded very happy despite my epic defeat. Who even comes last in Mario Kart?

"Hey, trying to find the Notebook for Lydia…I swear she loves that movie mor-" She cut off from her happy, but exasperated commentary. I could hear a sharp intake of breath on the other line and for once I grew concerned about her.

"Dori?" Scott and Stiles looked up at me, obviously hearing the worry in my voice as I spoke.

"Lottie? Everything okay?" I didn't answer Stiles still too fixated on the other end of the line hoping that she'd answer me and I was relieved when she did.

"Uh…Sorry, I-" She cut off again and this time I completely froze. She screamed. When I say she screamed it wasn't a 'you just scared the crap out of me' scream. It was filled with pure unadulterated terror and echoed through my head over and over again like a sick, morbid mantra. And then her screaming cut off and I don't think I'd ever been that scared in my entire life.

"Dori?!


	18. Chapter 18

I hung up the phone frantically, realising she wouldn't answer, and made to grab my keys off of the side. I needed to find her. I needed to know that she was okay. I could practically feel my chest tightening and I willed myself not to have a panic attack, I couldn't. I needed to find Dori. I couldn't panic. But I knew I was anyway.

"Lottie?" I hardly heard Stiles questioning me as I pulled my shoes on in record time. If it were an option, I would have gone without them. Heck, I would have ran all the way to the Movie Store if I had no other option. Dori better be okay, she better be okay. She better.

"Charlotte?!" Hands shook my shoulders and I looked up at the boy. He looked as scared as me. He was confused and maybe he was scared for Dori, maybe he was scared for Lydia, but I doubt I was helping with my behaviour. I just wanted Dori to be okay. I needed her to be okay.

"Dori…she…I…the movie store…Lydia…I!" I couldn't get the words out and I could hear how choked up I was. I wasn't going to cry. I wasn't. I wasn't. I couldn't, I needed to be strong for Dori, I needed to find her and I needed to make sure she was okay…then I could cry and possibly punch a wall.

"Okay, okay, c'mon I'll drive you, the movie store by Main Street?" I nodded and Stiles pulled his keys from his pocket, beginning to hurry me from my room and out the door. I was glad he was driving…I doubt I could competently drive right now.

Stiles turned back around when Scott didn't follow, and the boy looked at us, "I'll catch up with you two, go." I was the first to practically sprint down those stairs and out to the jeep. I'd never been so terrified in my whole entire life. What if she was hurt? What if something really bad had happened? What if she…what if she was another victim? I couldn't cope with that. I couldn't lose my sister. I just couldn't.

Stiles was definitely breaking the speed limit and for once I couldn't give a damn. I was pretty sure I was close to breaking down and until I saw that both my friend and my sister were okay and not in body bags then I don't think I could focus on anything else. A hand reached out and pulled one of my shaking ones into a lap, Stiles glanced over at me as he drove. "Hey…they'll be okay."

"How do you know that?! What if…" My hand tightened around his involuntarily. I didn't want to think of the what ifs. I was shaking in my seat, and since when was this drive ever this long?! Why couldn't we be there already? _Oh God._

"Just breath, she'll be okay, it's Dori…she'll kick everything's ass and keep Lydia safe…" I wanted to laugh at that idea, the idea that Dori would be kicking ass and taking names…but that didn't stop the tightness in my chest. I knew Stiles was trying to appear calm so that I wouldn't freak out. The tell-tell clenching of his jaw was enough to tell me that.

"Bu-"

"Breath." Doing what Stiles said wasn't necessarily my first choice, but he probably did know best in that moment. My breathing came out weak and shaky; Stiles probably thought I was going to have a panic attack…and maybe he'd be right. I didn't have them that often. There was that time I had a blood test, and that time I found mum and dad's divorce papers…but overall I didn't have them that often. I hated them. Panic attacks were like drowning; you can't breathe, you can't hear anything, you feel like your burning and you don't know how to stop it and then you panic more. It's like being drugged, disorientated. But if there was ever a time for me to have a panic attack, now was probably the most reasonable.

I kept doing what Stiles told me to do. I kept breathing, I kept holding onto his hand, I kept watching the trees and trying not to think of the bad possibilities, but instead Dori kicking a mugger's arse with her pinkie finger…

The moment I saw the flashing lights of emergency vehicles outside the movie store I was ready to throw myself out of that moving jeep and I probably would have had Stiles not still had a grip on me. The moment the jeep stopped, however, I was out of that car and searching for my sister and red headed friend.

I couldn't find them. Where are they? Where are they? I was practically hyperventilating by this point and jumped out of my skin when a hand was at my lower back urging me forward. Stiles helped me under police tape and around deputies. I stopped suddenly when I saw them.

Lydia and Dori were sat at the edge of an ambulance. Lydia had a shock blanket wrapped around her, her hair unusually unruly and she looked so unresponsive that it terrified me. Dori was wrapped around her, whispering in her ear, and gently moving strands of hair out of her face. Dori was terrified, I could see it in her, and yet she was doting on Lydia like nothing was happening.

Seeing them both alive, and relatively unharmed had me letting out a big sigh and I thought that I might collapse under the weight of the relief I felt. They were okay. "See, I told you they're okay…" I was crying and I knew I was crying, but I didn't care as I sprinted my way to the back of that ambulance.

"Dori? Lydia?!" Lydia didn't look up but Dori did. She stood to meet me halfway. I launched myself at her; my arms wrapped around her waist and I buried my face in her shoulder. She was okay. She was okay…"I'm…I…you're okay…" I held tight to her taller frame and I'm sure if it was any other situation she'd complain about me getting her shirt wet, but god she was okay and I don't even want to think about what could have happened. She could have been in a body bag rather than standing there with me wrapped around her.

"I'm okay, Lottie, shh…hey, I'm okay…" A hand was at the back of my head, it was like being 10 again and running into her room when I had a nightmare…she'd sit with me and stroke my hair and tell it was okay. I just couldn't understand how after all that she's so calm? How did Dori do it? How did she keep her cool when everything around her was falling apart? I wished I was like that. I wished I could have been calm and collected and there for her rather than the other way around. It wasn't me who'd just had a near death experience at a movie store, it was her and yet _she_ was comforting _me._

"I thought…I thought you'd…and I-" Seeing Dori was the best feeling I'd ever felt. The most relieving. To know she only had few scrapes and bruises. To know that she was breathing and that I could still see her again. I'd lost far too many people in various different ways to lose her too. I need my sister and I wanted her around for a long, long time. She was rocking me like a babe and I probably sounded and looked like one in that moment with my sudden inability to form proper sentences and the gasping breathes and tears that were leaving me.

"Hey, hey calm…calm down, it's okay. We're okay. You're okay. Everyone is okay." Dori pulled back from me, her hands on my shoulders. I felt like a little kid looking up at her then with my blotchy tear stained face. How was she so damn calm? She could have died!? Something could have…How was she so calm?

I took a few steadying breaths, rubbing my hands underneath my glasses to wipe away the tears that had left me. I tried my best to compose myself because I knew that's what Dori wanted me to do. She wanted me to be brave. She wanted me to be calm. She wanted me to be steady. She was always looking out for me even when she should have been looking after herself.

"I'm okay. I'm calm…"

"Yeah? Good, cause I need to go back to the paramedics, they think I have a concussion and until they're happy, I'm not going anywhere unfortunately…" Looking at Dori closer I could see the tell-tell bruising around her temple that said she'd taken a nasty blow to the head, and despite her seemingly amazing composure you could tell she was rattled. I knew she didn't want to be stuck there, but until both her and Lydia could leave she'd reluctantly stay…and while I'd love to stay with them I doubt she'd want me to. After all this I might need to schedule an emergency appointment with Dr. Smith about my mental wellbeing…

"Okay, have you talked to the cops yet?" Surely they'd want to question her and Lydia on what happened. Whatever had happened, there were rumours amongst the crowd behind the police barrier, whispers of mountain lions and bears. Another animal attack. But everything seemed just too unusual lately for me to believe that. Something was going on and I'm not sure if I wanted to know what it was or not.

"Nah, but the Sheriff's here…so probably soon…" I looked behind me and she was right, off to the side was the Sheriff. He was talking to a deputy about something and I knew she'd be interviewed by him; at least she'd know him well enough.

"Okay…" Stiles came up behind me and I honestly couldn't thank him enough for rushing to get me here and stopping me from panicking like I was prone to. Somehow he'd managed to keep his hyperactive head on his shoulders and I was grateful for that.

"Hey, Theo, how you doing?"

"I'm good, Stilinski, you taking care of my sister for me?" I shook my head at the two of them for talking as if I wasn't there. Sometimes it felt like they were trying to be my parents or something equally as terrifying. Especially since neither of them were perhaps responsible enough to be parents, let alone my parents. I was just lucky I guess that Stiles wasn't quite Dori's type, so we wouldn't have their chaotic children running around anytime soon.

"I got her, don't worry, if I didn't she'd have jumped out of my jeep faster than I can say Jedi." I rolled my eyes at the little smirk sent my way. Really he was such an idiot...But then I guess I had a thing for befriending idiots.

"I'm right here."

Dori continued purposefully ignoring me, it was good to see that even with a supposed concussion she was still capable of teasing me like normal. Some things a concussion can't change. "I know she's such a pain in the arse, right?"

"Yeah, but she's my pain in the ass, y'know?" I was simultaneously flattered at being called Stiles' pain in the ass and also peeved at him for calling me a pain. It was one of those odd sort of feelings where I wasn't sure whether to hug him or hit him upside the head (If I could even reach his head he was so damn tall).

"Yeah, well you take care of her while I'm out, okay? Lottie, I'll probably stay with Lydia tonight." I had expected that. I doubt after all they went through Dori wanted to leave Lydia alone…especially when Lydia seemed to be suffering from a severe case of shock. I wouldn't put it past her to be experiencing an extreme form of stress reaction either. Not if it was as bad as I'd been told.

"Do mum and Norman know?" I doubt my mother would be happy with Dori swanning off with Lydia after she was attacked. My mum would be having a fit, but then when it came to Dori superseding authority was always Norman's-after all, he was her actual father.

"Yeah…Dad said it's okay…mum is having a fit as per usual. You might want to get home soon…" Mum would want at least one of us at home, safe and sound by the time she got back, that's if she and Norman weren't already back having cut their date short. While mum and I weren't on speaking terms we did still care about each other and mum wouldn't exactly want me to get eaten or hurt in anyway-argument or no.

"Alright. You be safe and take care of Lyd…she doesn't look right…" Looking past Dori I could still see the red head staring into space. She was shaking like a leaf on a windy day, it was worrying to see a girl who was usually incredibly headstrong torn down to a quivering mess.

"She isn't."

We stood there in solemn silence until something apparently caught Stiles eye and his exclamation had me spinning around on the spot, "Whoa! Is that a dead body?" The obvious sight of a body bag shook me like a tree in a storm and I couldn't help but wonder what I would have done if that had been Dori? In all my months of living in Beacon Hills I'd seen more dead and injured bodies than I ever had in my entire life and it was without a doubt beginning to get increasingly worrying. But, it wasn't all bad I supposed? School was going okay, I had a job starting tomorrow at the Station, and I'd made friends that I doubt I'd ever want to be torn from…that didn't, however, mean I enjoyed the sight of dead bodies in the evening.

"Hey…I'll take you home" I pulled my eyes away from where the body bag disappeared and looked up at my friend. He seemed concerned about everything lately and I was sure he knew more than he told me. But then I never really knew anything that was ever going on…so as long as Stiles wasn't killing people I honestly couldn't give a damn about whatever dirty little details he wasn't giving me.

"You're just going to come straight back and be nosey aren't you?"

"Probably." I shook my head at him, but followed him anyway. It was a case of going back under restriction tape and back to a jeep that had been parked so haphazardly in my rush to make sure that Lydia and Dori were okay…and while Dori was, Lydia wasn't quite the Lydia I was used to. I just hoped she'd get better soon because I needed her strong character to keep Dori in check and to spend study period with me.

The drive back home was relatively silent apart from the rumbling of the jeep and the soothingly quiet whispering of the radio playing some song I'd never heard before. The woods still made me hyper-vigilant, the memory of red eyes hadn't quite left me, but I was slowly calming down and choosing to not jump at my own bloody shadow like I was in Jurassic Park.

"Are you going to be okay?" I looked over at Stiles as he pulled to a stop, taking the jeep out of gear and pulling his handbrake on. His hands were still fiddling with the steering wheel, tapping against it, but his eyes were on me. Sometimes his eyes were golden like honey and bright as anything and then other times they were dark, soulful and you knew that he was thinking about something that weighed heavily on his anxiety levels. Living in a town that was slowly killing everyone was probably something that would do that to you.

"Yeah…I think so, I'm okay now, really. Dori's safe and that's all I needed to know…I might schedule an appointment with creepy Dr. Smith though, figure I could use some therapy after all this…" As creepy as my therapist was, I kind of wanted to have a talk with a professional. Just to get everything out. Sure I could talk to Stiles about the whole thing with Dori, but I couldn't tell him about the anxiety I'd felt every time he or Scott or I did something that shook our relationship. I couldn't tell Stiles how I was really feeling in terms of my insecurities about him, but I could tell a Psychiatrist. Even if that Psychiatrist felt creepy and possibly homicidal.

"Hey, if you need to miss some of school then do, okay? Just make sure you let me and Scott know where you are, we don't need us panicking…" I could imagine the two of them completely freaking out over my disappearing for less than an hour. It was a funny image considering they hardly worried about anything in their day to day life.

"Cause you're both such mother hens, right?"

"We are with you and you know it." It was like having another set of parents sometimes; the buying me food, the texting me goodnight and making sure I told them where I was if I went anywhere. I wasn't sure if it was more concerning that they seemed so keen on keeping an eye on me or more adorable. It was possibly a mixture of both.

I stepped out of the Jeep and walked around to the driver's side, leaning in the window. "I'll see you at school. Goodnight, Stiles" I don't know why I did it. Maybe I was emotionally exhausted or maybe I was just not thinking properly. But whatever the reason I leant through the window to place a kiss against his cheek before running off into my house.

Had I been watching, rather than trying to figure out what kind of idiot I was for doing that to my best friend, I would have seen Stiles go the colour of a cherry and hold a hand to his cheek like he'd just been hit in the face. "Night…" I would have seen him incredibly confused, pulling away from my house to go back to a crime scene. But I didn't.

After getting past the Spanish Inquisition also known as the two parents who I lived under the roof of, I found myself booking a therapy session during my first lesson the next day. I had no qualms about skipping English, I only wished I'd chosen to skip the next lesson with Mr Harris as well. It was odd trying to go to sleep knowing that Dori was with an almost emotionally comatose Lydia. All they had wanted was to have wine, ice-cream, and watch the Notebook and instead they'd gotten an animal attack.

What was odder was the next morning. Finding myself back in that therapist's office wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but it was an odd thing. The wood, the uncomfortable chairs, the nail filing secretary, all of it was just a little too surreal for me. It was also always uncomfortable to come alone. There was no support system for me if things got a little rough. Instead I would have to take what was thrown at me and not back down…an odd concept for someone prone to submitting under pressure. If I was thrown in with a bunch of raptors I'd be eaten in 2.341 seconds.

"Charlotte, come in!" The call from my burn scarred therapist seemed way too cheery for man with what must have been a traumatic past and rather dead looking blue eyes. But then who was I to judge? He could be cheerful if he wanted to be, trauma or no.

The office hadn't changed a bit, it still felt just as intimidating as it had the last time and I still had my doubts about whether John Smith was actually a doctor or whether he was just an imposter. But beggars can't be choosers as they say. You get what you're given and for the most part you have to deal with it, even if what you got was a creepy guy covered in burn scars who had an odd way of talking to you.

"How are you?" You'd think he was concerned for my well being, but he wasn't. It was monotone. Apathetic. He was doing his job and I could appreciate that. It wasn't as if we had some sort of friendship budding, we were patient and doctor and I didn't like being there anymore than he did. Creepy or not.

"Terrified…"

A smirk fell across the unscarred half of his face and I wondered why he enjoying my pain so much. But then I guess you have to be a little sadistic to be a psychiatrist and listen to people in pain all day. "Oh, well that's a shame, why are you scared?" There was a twinkle or a glint should I say in those cold blue eyes that said he already knew the answer. The answer even I didn't know. What had made me so terrified recently?

"I…My sister was in an accident yesterday, I thought she was going to-"

He cut me off, he sounded almost like he was snarling and it had me fidgeting in my seat. I was somewhat regretting making this appointment now. He seemed more hostile than I'd ever known him and while I knew I'd be drawn into making another appointment in the future it didn't make this one any less petrifying to be involved in. "That's not it though, is it."

I slumped heavily down in the uncomfortable chair I was sat in, running a hand over the back of my neck. He knew more than he should and it was uncomfortable in the most unusual of ways. "I…I keep. I keep seeing red eyes everywhere…and I'm not sure if I'm imagining it or…"

"Or if it's actually real, and what do you think is the most terrifying of those options?" He finished for me. Not that it would be exceedingly hard to do, how many options were there when it came to glowing red eyes that stalked you at night? I wasn't sure if I should have been telling him any of this, wasn't seeing eyes everywhere enough to get you classified as insane? I wasn't crazy. I knew that much, at most I was overly imaginative, right? Right.

"That it's real. That I'm not just being overactive…that it's been near my friends." The eyes being so close to Scott's house. So close to all of them…what if there really was something to be worried about? It was the last thing I wanted to think about. I'd nearly lost Dori and Lydia less than 24 hours ago and the last thing I wanted to think about was what ifs with all my friends involved.

"Ahh, yes your 'friends'. How are Scott and-Stiles was it?" Why did everyone always forget Stiles? His name was pretty unusual in the first place and the boy wasn't the easiest to forget…or at least that was my opinion, maybe I was biased?

I found myself flushing, heat filling my cheeks…the last thing I wanted to do was bring up that. "They're fine. Just fine." Shutting down the line of conversation seemed like the best idea at the moment, even if I was making it very clear something wasn't quite right with my friendships at that moment. Or more importantly one friendship in particular that had started to get more impulsive and less rational by the second.

"Oh...?" You know that look people get when they think they've found some juicy little bit of gossip to sniff out and bite into? Yeah, the one with the raised eyebrows and the delighted little smirks, that was pretty much what Dr Smith looked like. I was surprised he didn't go into journalism with how eager he looked for a good goddamn story. Bloody hell, I had a vulture of a therapist.

"I don't want to talk about it." I crossed my arms tightly against my chest. If there was anyone I'd spill the beans to about my sudden confusion regarding a certain Adderall fuelled idiot then it would be one of my friends. At least they'd understand and probably tell me I was overthinking everything…because I was wasn't I? It's perfectly normal to kiss your friend on the cheek after they've done something you're grateful of…right? Right. There was absolutely nothing odd about that at all.

"Something tells me you've succeeded in confusing yourself with one of them."

"No. They're my friends." I wasn't a very forceful or defensive person by nature. It was a well-known fact that I was pretty much softer than a teddy bear and skittish as a rabbit, but something about talking to Dr Smith about my friends had my hackles raising and wanting to leave the room without even a goodbye. But I knew I couldn't do that. It was a game of getting him to give up and let me go first and then I could run off to wherever I wanted to be.

"Just friends?"

"Just friends." I was gritting my teeth waiting for it all to be over. There wasn't some tragic story he could draw out of me and he didn't seem to realise that. Just like the many visits I'd had with him I was exhausted, but I was also grouchy. It was relieving most of the time to talk to him, but not today. Today was just bad. It was so bad I was eager to get to Mr Harris' class and that was saying something because it was Mr Harris.

"Alright…I can see you're not very responsive today, you can leave."

"Thank you." It wasn't the sincerest of thank you's that had ever left my mouth and I didn't hesitate to rush my way out of that office and down to the old and very dead Ford. I was starting work that night, but only for a few hours, from 4 till 5:30 to get me used to the station and then I'd be free to go. I was probably going to pop round Lydia's. Dori had been staying there since the other night and I knew she'd need a few things if she was going to keep sleeping round, especially as she was probably too tall for Lydia's clothes.

I didn't exactly rush to get to school, Norman had explained my absence and it wasn't as if missing a few minutes of chemistry was going to kill me. It may effect what Mr Harris said in a week's time at Parent Teacher Conference…also known as 'kill me now, why do all my teachers hate me?'

I had to sign in at the front desk, a load of 'yes I'm here now, no I wasn't skiving, and yes I had an appointment'. It was tedious, apparently everyone in reception seemed to forget that Norman had called in about my absence and then they asked about Dori and I had to explain that she'd been involved in an accident and was therefore not well enough to come to school. Either I had a short fuse today or everyone had suddenly gotten increasingly irritating.

I was probably a total of 3 minutes late to Chemistry and I still got that scathing tone of voice and evil eye from Mr Harris, "It's nice of you to finally join us, Miss Kite; Everyone, start reading Chapter Nine. And Mr Stilinski, try putting the highlighter down between paragraphs. It's chemistry, not a colouring book." The spot next to Stiles and Danny was surprisingly empty that day and with most of the others being filled up, I decided to risk my chances and sit there. Harris or no Harris. Was it me or was Mr Harris slowly turning into a Voldemort look-a-like?

Chapter nine was some twaddle about chemical formulae, unlike Stiles' book mine wasn't covered in highlighter, but I wished it was. It might have made it more interesting to look at and less like I was about to fall asleep. "Hey, how was therapy?" Stiles was looking at me earnestly and I could feel Danny's eyes on me. He wasn't used to the idea of me going to therapy, according to him I was too damn happy all the time.

"Not good."

Stiles knew better than to ask me about it if I was being this short with him. I didn't want to be in such a foul mood, but therapy had put me there and I just needed to calm down before I started making bad jokes again. "Alright then…Danny, can I ask you a question?"

"No." Danny didn't really like Stiles. Or he said he didn't like him, I wasn't quite sure why the two of them didn't get along, but they didn't. Stiles seemed to like Danny well enough, but then everyone liked Danny, even Jackass. (Who as we spoke was literally smirking at us from across the room. I hated him so much).

"Well, I'm going to anyway. Um, did Lydia show up in your homeroom today?" I don't know why Stiles thought she would even turn up to school today after how traumatised she was the other day. She'd been so unresponsive that it had been terrifying. At least Dori had been talkative, if a little too calm for my liking.

"No."

"She's with Dori as far as I'm aware…they should be at Lydia's, I didn't expect them to come in today." I butted in. While there was the whole Danny/Stiles thing going on, I doubted Danny knew any more than I did about Lydia and Dori and the whole incident that happened the other night. I wish I knew more to be honest with you. I was still flicking through chapter nine trying impossibly hard to find some interest in it. There was a reason I wasn't doing so well in chemistry, physics, and maths and that reason was that they bored the hell out of me.

"Can I ask you another question?" I rolled my eyes at the sound of Stiles' badgering. Danny wouldn't be getting out of the conversation until Stiles had asked everything he wanted and even then Danny would still be pestered. Maybe that was the reason they didn't get along? Or maybe it had something to do with the fact his best friend was Jackson…which I always had a hard time coming to terms with.

"The answer is still no." I was surprised Mr Harris hadn't come over and hit Stiles over the back of the head in a Snape like manner yet, it wasn't as if he was being especially quiet and usually our teacher was quick to snuff out any form of chatter and/or fun in the room.

"Does anyone know what happened to her and Theo?" I had expected Stiles to sniff out any and all information about the other night after he left to return to the crime scene. After all this was Stiles and his nose for information was surprisingly strong and demanding. I had hoped that he at least knew something more than I did.

"No." At Danny's answer my friend turned his eyes on me, he didn't need to verbally ask me to spill the beans. I didn't really know much and it wasn't as if it was some sort of top secret information that I'd get killed for. Even Danny was looking at me interested in what I might say, after all Lydia and Dori were his friends too.

"I…I just know that they think it was some kind of animal attack, I haven't seen Dori since last night." I had texted my sister once or twice after she didn't pick up the phone, and at the least I knew she was safe. That had been my main concern, as long as she was somewhere safe I was okay with it. I was starting to turn into mum and get slightly paranoid about Dori's health and well being. Even though I knew she could look after herself perfectly fine.

"One more question." It wasn't Stiles asking for permission in the slightest, that boy would do what he wanted whether you liked it or not for the most part. He had a very stubborn way of being and it had a tendency to rub people the wrong way. Sheriff Stilinski even had a hard time dealing with Stiles when he wanted something from him and he'd been dealing with him for nearly 2 decades now. I had this image of Stiles as a toddler sat in his high chair interrogating his dad with his arms crossed, and that typical brow furrow he got. I had no doubt that Stiles had always been as difficult to deal with as he was now. I was just glad Scott and I could cope with him, but then we weren't on the receiving end of his interrogations most of the time.

"What?" I had no doubt that Danny was very close to punching Stiles in his pale, mole splattered face. And I wouldn't want Danny punching me for the main reason that that guy was built like a brick house and could probably break all the bones in your body with his pinkie finger…or his little toe.

"Do you find me attractive?" Was this an extension on his previous 'am I attractive to gay guys' thing because I really was beginning to wonder if Stiles was swinging for both teams? I could certainly see it happening, that or Stiles just really needed an ego boost today. Maybe Lydia and Dori getting closer had severely impacted upon his emotional and mental well being? Or he was just being his usual random self and I should run before he starts asking me if I can get him the Queen's number.

"Stiles?" I gave him a look, as Danny just rolled his eyes in annoyance and went back to the chapter we were reading. I never understood teachers making kids just read from a textbook, if I ever become a teacher I'd do something more interactive and we'd watch relevant films and have cake when everyone passes a test. Kids were stressed enough now-a-days without being subjected to the horror that is text book work on a daily basis.

"What?"

"Seriously?" I looked at Stiles as he shrugged his shoulders in confusion. Was he that idiotic? I mean the boy was a secret genius, but sometimes you'd think he was as dumb as a Neanderthal. At least he didn't look like one that would be rather unfortunate.

There was a silence until he leant forward with that inquiring look he always gave people before he asked something stupid, "Do _you_ find me attractive?"

"I'm not answering that question." I shook my head at him, and for the rest of the lesson, or the rest of the day in fact I didn't answer it. He repeated it on multiple occasions and every time I wanted to go crawl into a dark corner somewhere. Mainly because I wasn't sure what I'd say in actual response. Stiles was my best friend and admittedly I did find him attractive in his own weird sort of way, but saying that would immediately create the most awkward setting for the two of us and I didn't want that. I'd already gone and kissed him, even if it was in the most platonic way possible, the last thing I needed to do was both boost his ego and embarrass myself.

Home time couldn't have come quick enough…and then I remembered that I wasn't actually getting to go home, I had work. I actually had work. I was being a productive member of society and at least I was working at the station right? Nothing bad could possibly happen while I'm surrounded by cops. It made me feel slightly better after yesterday's incident.


	19. Chapter 19

Working at the Sheriff's station had been…easier than I thought it would be. I sat at the desk, got people Deputies or the Sheriff if they needed to speak to them, brought Mr Stilinski coffee (with less sugar than I would like) and answered the phone among a few other things. It was really a nice simple desk job that paid reasonably well and had me spending more time with Stiles' dad, who was a lovely man to work with and spend any form of time with.

 

It was odd wearing formal attire though, by which I mean I actually had to wear a blouse and Allison forced me into a formal skirt and shoes that were definitely not my converse. I'd had them stuffed in my locker to make it easier for me to get changed right after school without having to make the journey home. I suppose you have to look the part when you go to work, and ridiculous outfits were a small price to pay to actually earn some money for once. I would definitely have the money to buy people's birthday presents now and hopefully one day to buy a new car that isn't about to collapse into a heap of junk.

 

I had been doodling a picture on a post it note, when the Sheriff walked into the front of the Station from his office. He looked tired, which was definitely not helped by all the recent issues…I was tired myself and I wasn't even the one investigating attacks and deaths…"You can go home now if you want, Kiddo, your shift is over…I know you want to check on your sister." Dori was living out of the Clothes she'd worn when her and Lydia were attacked, she hadn't come home once. I figured she'd maybe want some new clothes and I wanted to make sure she was okay. Although I had a feeling she was coping better with the whole thing than I was, Dori was strong like that.

 

"Thanks, Sheriff…" I pulled the post it note from its pad and shoved it in my bag, before standing. I felt like I might collapse and just take a nap on the floor, but I knew that I needed to visit Dori and Lydia and make sure they were okay so that my mind could rest easy. For all I knew Dori could have finally gone into a state of Shock hours after I left her or she could be totally fine and trying to help Lydia. I was hoping it was the latter rather than the former.

 

"How're you holding up?"

 

I smiled sadly up at the Sheriff. I'd been so out of whack lately that I hadn't even had time to cook for him and Stiles like I usually did. The worry was perfectly justifiable and I had no doubt Stiles had probably gone home last night and talked to his dad about it. They were both far too worried for me and I felt horrible for making them worry, but then I couldn't help it if something decided to attack my sister or if I keep seeing things in the dark. It was…worrying, to say the least. "I'm okay, scared…but I'm okay. It could always be worse!"

 

"You're always looking on the bright side, aren't you?" I liked to think I was consistently cheerful, I didn't want to think about what I'd be like if I was constantly pessimistic. It was just nicer to smile all the time, it felt too bad being grumpy and negative. So why do it? I'd rather smile and give people something to be hopeful about…or at least I tried. It's been harder lately, but I've been doing my best.

 

"I try. It helps, especially when stuff starts going wrong…goodbye, Sheriff" I swung my backpack over my shoulder, keys rattling in my hand as I moved. It was about time that I got home and sorted out some things for Dori and then maybe I'd have enough time later to do that work Harris had set. Although that was slowly becoming the least of my problems…

 

"Bye, Kiddo." I waved at the Sheriff one last time before making my way out into the cold. October had been surprisingly chilly so far and I wasn't looking forward to finding out what December was like…I had a feeling it might just kill me, if a mountain lion didn't first. I was still sceptical about the whole 'it's a mountain lion' theory. I wasn't sure who or what was killing/attacking people, but I had a feeling that it wasn't anything as simple as a mountain lion. It couldn't be…I'd seen those scratches on that bus door; massive, destructive, violent…nothing seemed to add up and I wasn't sure if I was just being paranoid or if there was some truth to what was buzzing about in my brain.

 

I was growing more and more grateful for my crappy car, I couldn't imagine walking home when the sun started to go down. Not with me jumping at every shadow and wondering if those red eyes were real or if I was simple going a bit batty. At least this way I could feel somewhat secure. I could feel safe for a moment. I was starting to curse my jumpy nature more and more. I didn't want to be scared. Fear wasn't something anyone enjoyed and being stuck in a perpetual state of it was a hell of its own…and I knew the boys could tell. I knew Stiles could tell that I was jumping at every corner and that I wasn't quite right. It didn't help that Jackson had a habit of turning up in the middle of the school day with the purpose of scaring me before he stalked his way down the corridor to beat on some other kid. He could scare me without being scary and like most assholes he probably enjoyed the power it gave him. Just thinking of that had me nearly throwing my keys at something rather than turning them in the ignition.

 

The drive back to my house was quiet. I had stopped playing the radio recently, all the news reports were local and reminded me constantly of the bad stuff happening in town. The silence wasn't too bad, however, there was something nice about it, it gave me time to calm, to relax, and to think about silly little things rather than worry. The silence was a distraction of its own.

 

Pulling up on my driveway I hadn't actually wanted to get out of the car. There was something…uncomfortable about the dark bushes and the trees around my house and neighbourhood now. Before I'd loved it, I'd loved that we had trees and green here there and everywhere, and now it just seemed like another place for things to hide. I was definitely buying that cricket bat.

 

I forced myself out of the car, locking it as calmly as one could when they felt like they were being watched, before steadily walking up to my front door, hands rubbing up and down my arms to try and calm myself down. _You're being silly, everything is fine…_

 

Telling myself that didn't make my hand any steadier as I unlocked the front door and telling myself that didn't make the silence in the house anymore welcoming. Mum and Norman were still never really around…I had expected mum to constantly be in the house after Sunday, but apparently not. It was disconcerting.

 

It was weird going through Dori's things, finding her clothes that she could wear, finding her toothbrush and her hairbrush and all sorts of things. I knew I wasn't doing anything wrong or really invading her privacy, but it still felt weird to do it. Weird and uncomfortable.

 

I had folded and packed enough clothes for a whole week into a suitcase for her, along with toiletries and a small stash of chocolate and sweets that I usually didn't let anyone else have. Dori needed my sugary things more than me at this point and I could always go out and get more, or get someone else to get me more. I liked to think of the suitcase as Dori's survival pack, but I knew she'd be fine without it. I just wanted to do something. There wasn't much I could do for her, I couldn't make her talk, I couldn't skip school to be with her…so the least I could do was get her some things to help her out while she stayed at Lydia's.

 

It was getting late and I figured I'd text my sister just to make sure I hadn't missed anything that she really wanted me to bring before I got all the way to Lydia's house. Knowing my luck if I didn't check I'd miss something that Dori wanted me to bring along with me.

 

**Is there anything specific you want me to pack for you before I pop over later? X**

 

Dori's room was a collection of cool colours and light fabric. Pictures littering walls, and messy clothing thrown about the place. Neither of us were especially neat people. It was probably something we both grew together. The lack of organisation which we both called organised chaos instead.

 

**Can you bring one or two of my pillows? X-Dori**

 

I reached for the fluffiest pillows on her bed. I knew why Dori wanted them; they smelled like home. It was always easier to rest when you had something that reminded you of home even if you were miles away from it. It was hard to sleep in a strange bed with strange pillows and strange smells. Having your own pillow was always a blessing.

 

A knocking from the door had me pausing and I placed the pillows down on top of the suitcase before walking down the stairs. I hadn't been focusing on the things around me-if I had maybe I would have heard a car pull up outside the house. But then I always had a way of going off into my own world from time to time. It had the tendency to be better than real life sometimes.

 

"Stiles?" I was confused as to why he was standing on my doorstep, we hadn't made plans had we? I hope we hadn't…what kind of friend would I be if I just forgot things that we planned to do! But no, he didn't look like he'd been invited here, he looked kind of awkward actually…well more awkward than Stiles usually looked which was saying something because about 89% of him was made up of awkward.

 

"I, uh, I was going to head to Lydia's to check up on her…since y'know her and Theo weren't in school today…I was wondering if you wanted to come?" He rubbed a hand behind his neck, it was an action that was so familiar that I'd noticed myself doing the exact same thing more often (Creepy…) I don't know why I was surprised that Stiles was going to visit them, after all he was as far as I was aware still completely and irrevocably in love with Lydia 'Goddess of Beacon Hills' Martin and Dori had slowly managed to become his friend despite their rivalry. It kind of relieved me to know I wouldn't have to go on my own.

 

"Uh, sure I was going to go anyway, just wait here! I need to grab some things for Dori, I'll be right back!" I was already clambering my way up the stairs as I called out behind me, I didn't want to keep him waiting as it was getting late anyway. I didn't want to interrupt Dori or Lydia resting too much. From what I'd heard through texts from Dori, Lydia wasn't doing well at all.

 

I shoved the pillows into my arms and made to grab the suitcase when a hand did it for me, "I've got it, the last thing we need is you tripping, Lottie" Stiles grinned down at me. I refused to believe that I would trip, I am perfectly capable of carrying a few pillows and a suitcase down some stairs, sure I might not be able to see over them, but I wouldn't trip. I was skilled and had super-fast reflexes.

 

"Oh, hardy ha ha, I wouldn't trip." I scoffed, walking out of Dori's room and starting down the corridor. As much as I believed I wouldn't trip, if Stiles was offering to carry stuff for me then I wasn't going to complain, although I kind of felt like we were going on holiday. I can't imagine being stuck on holiday with Stiles…can you imagine going on a road trip with him?! The jeep would break down every five minutes, I'd have to learn how to fix cars!

 

"You say that now, but trust me you'd trip." I could practically hear the smirk in his voice and it wasn't fair that it made me smile. It wasn't fair that I couldn't even pretend to be angry at Stiles, I should be able to just pretend at the least that he's a twat and that I hate him…but if I tried I'd probably start laughing.

 

"Whatever, Batman…just get down those damn stairs…" It took all of 5 minutes to get everything in the Jeep and haul myself into the passenger side. I always felt like I was climbing a mountain when I got into the bloody thing, I could do with a step ladder. Or a full size one.

 

The moment Stiles started the jeep the radio blared and I had to turn it down in fear of my ears bursting, since when did Stiles have the radio on, let alone on loud? Jesus.

 

"Do you know how they're holding up?"

 

"Dori and Lyd?" I asked, he pulled away from the curb nodding his head at me, glancing out the corner of his eye. I wish I knew exactly how they were, "Uh, Lydia's not doing too well…Dori seems okay, all things considered, but I'm more worried about Lydia, she seemed completely out of it yesterday…" I could still see her staring off into space, not acknowledging anything around her, I could still hear the screaming both her and Dori had done over my phone. It was like watching a movie, but the audio just didn't fit, two different events colliding together in my head. I was worried for Lydia a great deal. A great deal.

 

"Yeah…" Stiles sighed, I turned as much as I could in the seat, to look at him. Stiles looked worried. Defeated. Sad. But there was something underneath it all; Fear. I understood that. Being scared of people you care for being hurt, being scared of a lot of things. I understood fear so much that if I never felt scared I think I'd feel like I lost an old friend. I've never gone long without being scared of something whether it was minor or major. But being scared for your friends, for your family…that was the worst kind of fear, it ate you up inside and spat you back out.

 

"Hey, she'll be okay…" Stiles was the type of obsessive with Lydia that I had no doubt he was probably worrying himself sick. The stress. The fear. It wasn't good when you had someone you didn't want to lose and we all had someone we didn't want to lose.

 

"It's not her I'm worried about." A confused silence fell over us. If it wasn't Lydia (who was pretty much _the_ person in Stiles' life) then who was he worried about? I didn't ask. I wasn't sure if he wanted me to. I didn't want to cross a line when everyone was running thin in the tolerance department, but I didn't need to ask because he spoke for me.

 

"You, Lottie, I'm worried about you. You've been scared…jumpy…I…if there's something you're not telling me and Scott…you know you can talk to us right? You can talk to me?" I didn't want him to worry. My issues…they were always there, I was always jumpy, and it had just gotten worse. I didn't want him to worry, he worried enough about his dad and Scott without adding me to the list. I didn't want to be the reason he was up at night unable to sleep or the reason he took more Adderall or the reason that he bit through his nails. I didn't want him to worry.

 

"I…I am scared. I-I just keep seeing things and…I…" I hadn't told either of them about the eyes. Or my suspicions. I didn't want them to think I was crazy or to worry more. But it slipped off my tongue with ease despite how much I had wanted to keep it hidden.

 

"Seeing things?"

 

"It's nothing, I thought I saw red eyes a few times…I'm just being…silly." A tense silence took over. Stiles' hands tightened against the steering wheel…it was like he knew something I didn't or that something I'd said was not what he wanted to hear. I chose to simply look out the window, watching the street lamps flicker past and the trees blur into one mass of leaves and wood.

 

Ms Martin met us at the door, she didn't know Stiles, but she knew me, and with all the things I was carrying she happily let us in, but I could tell she'd been worried about the two girls living under her roof. There was something older about her than the last time we met. Something a lot more drawn.

 

It was awkward standing in Lydia's doorway peering into it like some little 5 year old. She looked tired. By which I mean genuinely sleepy, her hair a mess that normally she would definitely not allow and wearing a very Lydia-ish nightgown. Even after a traumatic experience she'd have to wear something nice to bed, what do you expect?

 

"Honey, Charlotte and her friend Stiles are here to see you" Well I was actually here to see her and Dori, but judging from the way Lydia barely lifted her head and the way she rolled about like she was drunk I had a feeling I wasn't going to get anywhere with her…I mean she obviously had had something and definitely was out for the count in terms of brain power. Drugged up Lydia was probably not the easiest to talk to…

 

"What the hell is a 'Stiles'? Charley-Warley! Where have you been?" She forced herself up and she could hardly stare directly at me she was that out of it. It was mildly concerning, but the fact she'd called me 'Charley-Warley' like she was six years old again was more concerning. I don't think she's ever called me anything but Charlotte, not that I'm going to complain, nicknames are awesome, just not when they come from a drugged out of her mind teenage girl.

 

"At school, Lyd, I've been at school…I'm going to go and see Dori, you said she's in the guest room, right?" I turned to Ms. Martin, there wasn't much I could do for Lydia when she was conked out, but maybe Stiles could see how she's doing while I dealt with my sister. Sometimes I didn't feel like the older sibling, Dori always seemed older you know? Braver. Stronger. More likely to punch you in the face. But she seemed older and maybe it was a good thing that she had that mentality with what she went through. If she was like me she might have been like Lydia right now, curled up in a bed drugged out of her mind.

 

"Yeah, and don't worry about Lydia she took a little something to ease her nerves." A _little_ something? I thought someone had tranquilised her she was so out of it! I patted Stiles good luck on the shoulder before carrying Dori's things with me away from Lydia's room.

 

The Martin house had lots and lots of rooms, a lot of guest rooms which I'm sure had been used by horny teenagers in the middle of the many parties that Lydia has thrown over her time as Queen of the school. But I figured if there was any guest room Dori would be in right now, it would be the one closest to her love's room.

 

"Dori?" I knocked lightly on the door, scuffling and moving about could be heard from behind it and had I not known any better I would have thought that sniffling sound was crying. But Dori never cried right? Or so I thought, but when she opened the door I could see the tell-tell signs of tears. Ruddy cheeks, blotches on her skin, red eyes, and a runny nose. I could tell from the look on her face however that she didn't want me to mention it. I was okay with that. I don't even know what I'd say to begin with.

 

"I brought pillows?" I offered one to her, and she took it before I helped carry the rest of the stuff into the room, closing the door gently behind me. The room was in typical Martin taste, a large bed, fancy furniture, and it reminded me of a five star hotel room with all the perks of what I'm guessing was an en-suite bathroom. It was damn nice room, but I don't think that mattered to Dori. I think if she wasn't so worried about Lydia and wasn't so worried about getting a lecture from mum that she would have gone home and fallen into her own familiar bed or even mine. I think she missed home and her dad, but she just couldn't bring herself to leave the redhead next door after what happened.

 

I sat myself down on the bed, it was so soft that I practically sank into it, and pushed my dark hair behind my ears before looking up at her. She was looking through the suitcase, seeing what I brought and I think I saw a smile when she lifted up the stash of chocolate and sweets that I'd put in there, but I can't be sure.

 

"How're you doing?" It was a stupid question really. She wasn't fine, but she would say she was okay. It was Dori, she didn't have heart to hearts about traumatic experiences and emotional pain. She was the one who sits there and listens to you crying your eyes out into her shoulder and she's the one who deals with her own stuff because she just doesn't want to get into those gritty grotty feelings and she doesn't want that vulnerability. I understood that. The differences between us didn't just start and end their either. And despite it being entirely frustrating, I could live with Dori not talking about things…as long as she looked after herself. I could live with the emotional avoidance and the standoffishness and the hard shell that never cried…because it gave me strength. Growing up it gave me strength and now it still gives me strength, because if Dori can handle all this shit then why can't I?

 

"I'm fine…I'm worried about Lyd…I want her to get better…" I was waiting on the day those two finally got together. I wasn't sure how their relationship would work out, but the way Dori cared, the look in her eyes whenever she was gazing at Lydia…it all told me one thing; my sister was hopelessly in love and it was like she'd fallen down a hole and couldn't get back out. She was so far gone and it was both adorable and worrying that she was so emotionally attached to someone that they had the inevitable ability to hurt her with or without realising it.

 

"Of course you do, she's well-she's Lydia." If Dori didn't want her to get better from her drugged up and post-traumatic state then I'd be concerned. I'd be more concerned than Mr Hammond when Nedry causes total Jurassic Park meltdown. I'd even be more concerned than Obi Wan Kenobi as he stares down Anakin who's turned to the dark side of the force. I would be asking if Dori was actually my sister or whether it was a clone or an alien in disguise because the idea that she wouldn't want Lydia to get better was so farfetched and so insane that it would never enter my mind without the idea being planted there.

 

"I mean…I was planning on asking her out this week…and then this happened…and if she's not better I wouldn't feel right telling her how I feel…I just, I've waited and I want her to know, I want her to know how much I like her." She sounded like she was going to cry from sheer frustration…that want to have Lydia, to get everything off her chest must have been immense. Dori wasn't, as I've said, good with emotions, but Lydia made her feel some damn strong ones and it must have been hard getting used to them. Understanding that she genuinely likes Lydia on top of the fact that she has to pretend she doesn't day in and day out. I thought I was screwed with not understanding my own feelings half the time, but damn…if one of us was ready to hit something from confusion it was definitely Dori.

 

I had no idea, however, that she'd been planning on actually make a move on Lydia. Sure there were the bouquets, the anonymous notes in Lyd's locker, the gifts, and the daily compliments about how amazing the other girl was. But she'd never said she was actually going to tell her about her feelings, she never said she was going to try and get that date. I thought she would wait forever for Lydia to make the first move…but maybe Dori was so smitten that she just couldn't wait much longer anymore. I don't think she had the patience that Stiles had to wait years.

 

I wonder how the boy would take it if Dori actually got a date with Lydia. Would I need to bring ice-cream and rom-coms round? Would there be crying? Or would he be happy for her and okay with it? In my head he still loved Lydia in his obsessive nerdy fashion…but then he had been more worried about me then Lydia…maybe he just didn't like anyone anymore? I don't know why that thought both relieved and frustrated me. But it did. If he didn't like her then who would he ever like? Who could compare to Lydia Martin because let's face it that girl walked straight out of a historical fantasy where she was ruling as Queen and beheading people.

 

"She'll get better. You'll confess, and I'll being going to the best wedding of the century! It'll work itself out…I promise…" Whether there'd actually ever be a wedding or not was for time to tell only, but I had a good feeling about the two of them…I had a very good feeling. But then again I had no experience in that area and I could be misreading everything. But at least Dori would have her feelings off her chest and be able to just relax rather than worry about hiding it all the time.

 

"I hope you're right…"

 

"Trust me. It'll be fine." I'm not sure if trusting me was ever a good thing, but sisterly reassurance was part of my job. Seeing her down in the dumps wasn't the best thing and if I could find a way of making her feel secure in what she was going to do, in what was going on than I would…even if I wasn't secure myself. Dori was a special case of me putting up a front of perfect confidence and slightly less fear than normal.

 

"What are you? Psychic?" She turned to me, one eyebrow raised leaving the open suitcase on the floor to stand in front of me. She looked slightly more humoured and I sent a cheeky smile her way, wiggling my eyebrows.

 

"Totally. I see wedding gowns and little ginger babies in your future!" Don't even try and discuss the biology of it all with me, I'll fight you all. Lydia and Dori surrounded by tonnes of messy children calling me Auntie Lottie and making me pictures was my future. Or it better be my future because I goddamn wanted to be the coolest aunt ever and make sure those kids got a proper pop culture education including Star Wars and Indiana Jones (Just Harrison Ford in general).

 

"Yeah, well I'm seeing a little kid on Adderall who likes dressing up as Batman in yours." She smirked at me, sitting down next to me on the bed, letting out a weird sound as it dropped ridiculously low and not at all like she expected. You'd think after spending a good amount of time here she'd understand the bed well enough, but then this is Dori and I guess her mind might have been on something other than her bed.

 

"Shut up!" I wasn't angry, I was actually laughing lightly at her words because really it was good to know that Dori was okay enough to make some of her usual stupid teasing comments about my best friend and how I'm obviously in denial about my super-secret feelings for him or whatever she thinks I have…which I totally don't.

 

"Just admit it! You think he's cute!" I let myself fall backwards to lie against the bed with a groan, and let us begin the onslaught of 'you obviously want to totally bang Stiles, okay? Okay.' It wasn't even a case of me knowing that I definitely didn't either. Half the time I wasn't sure what I was thinking in relation to half the stuff Dori suggested…I liked to play it off as simply being that close with him that it makes things odd. I mean it's perfectly fine to admit you think a friend is attractive it doesn't mean you love-love them, right? Right.

 

"Just because I think he's cute doesn't mean that I like him…I mean, he's my best friend?" Sure Stiles was attractive in his own way. By which I mean he was awkward and gangly, but he had this cute way of looking at people and his moles moved when he smiled and he had deceptively solid forearms for a guy who looks like he could break in half if the wind blew. But he was my best friend and I was allowed to note these things without it being sexual or romantic right? I mean it's not as if I had dreams about him…or day dreamed of kissing him or wrote Mrs Stilinski in my books, I was just aware of the fact he was mildly adorkable.

 

"That doesn't sound that certain." Dori sang from somewhere above me with no doubt a wolfish grin on her face. It was nice to hear her cheered up even if it was at my own expense and I had high hopes that she'd be back at school and back home soon enough and that we'd be passing each in the halls and messing about with Danny in art class again.

 

"Leave it, Dori, go eat your chocolate!" I laughed back at her, there was no point getting upset about her teasing. I'd been dealing with it for years and it never brought any real harm to me. In fact it at times could be quite the enjoyable and funny experiences, provided you didn't let yourself get frustrated and think about the 50 ways to kill her and then hide the body.

 

We laid there for a while; Dori eating chocolate, me staring up at the Martin's ceiling wondering about all sorts of emotional conflicts that even my creepy psychiatrist had picked up on. It was nice to just lie down with her and relax, even if she was eating all the nice food and I wasn't. I had to remind myself that I willingly gave away the stash and that I had no right to get uppity over it. After all I'd probably go and raid the local shop for more soon and spend my whole pay check on sweets and chocolate and then regret it when I feel sick later.

 

I sat myself up, and Dori looked over at me pausing from where she was eating a bar of Hershey's which was so unbelievably different from Cadbury's back in the UK that it had shocked all our taste buds and then made me thank god for the glorious sugary concoction.

 

"Are you going?" Dori frowned at me as I made my way to the door, turning to nod at her. It was well past Seven in the evening and I had work still to do so that Mr Harris didn't kill me and I needed to make sure I was in at a decent time so that mum didn't kill me…added to the fact that Dori needed to sleep at some point and if I kept her up I'd feel incredibly guilty. She looked like she needed the sleep although the sugar probably wouldn't let her get to sleep for another few hours at least.

 

"It's getting late…it might be about time I got home, I have chemistry work to do for tomorrow and you need your rest…" I was half expecting her to argue with me and tell me that she didn't need rest and that rest was for losers and she was far too cool for it, but she didn't. In fact she was pretty docile about the whole thing. It made leaving slightly easier.

 

"Alright, thanks for bringing me all this stuff…it's been hard sleeping without my pillows…" She padded the pillow sat in her lap and it made me feel useful. When the whole incident had happened I'd felt so useless like I couldn't help, like I'd failed to do some great duty of mine, that I should have protected my sister and Lydia in some way. But I had helped…sure it was post event care and yes I couldn't stop what had happened from happening, but I could make the afterwards better and maybe that was just as valuable as skills and abilities come?

 

"You are welcome, I'm always here if you need me…you know that, right?" I knew she wouldn't come talk to me about how she felt even if she knew that she could. It was a choice. One I respected, I didn't like necessarily, but I respected it. As long as she knew she had the option to come to me that was all that mattered, she could if she wanted or not if she didn't.

 

"Yeah, I know, Char." I gave her one last smile before leaving the room, going next door to find Stiles shoving something quickly in his pocket before turning to me as I opened the door with a creak. I raised an eyebrow and he just shrugged at me. "She, uh, she called me Jackson…"

 

"Oh…Stiles…" Shit. Of all the times for Lydia to say that to Stiles of all people. She must have been completely off her head on whatever medication her mum gave her if she confused Jackass with Stiles of all people. But that must have really stung…I can't imagine how that would feel, and it made me wonder if Dori would be alright…what if Lydia wasn't over Jackson and didn't want to move one? What would happen if she turned Dori down? I didn't really want to think of it.

 

"Its fine, c'mon, I should get you home…" I was ushered out of the room and we both said our goodbyes and thanks to Ms Martin for letting us visit and stay so late. She was a nice woman, I kind of hoped that she showed up more often, maybe at games and the like. She was sweet in her own way and you could definitely see large portions of Lydia in her.

 

We sat in the jeep as Stiles drove to my house, breaking the awkward silence in and equally as awkward manner, "What did you and Dori talk about?"

 

"Stuff!" I probably said it far too quickly and far too suspiciously for anyone to think that we just talked about stuff. Either way it led to a nice quiet ride home, a quick goodbye on my part and me sitting at a desk at midnight still trying to complete my chemistry homework without making too much noise that I might wake the parents up…oops. Life was really getting out of hand lately…


	20. Chapter 20

"Look who it is! My favourite redhead!" I called out across the car park, hastening towards Allison and Lydia by the front doors of the school. I nearly got hit by a car on the way because of my eagerness, but really that wasn't especially new.

"I'm the only redhead you know, besides you're just glad I'm back so that you don't fail math." I finally caught up to them saying a quick hello to Allison. Lydia turned to me, a perfectly pristine eyebrow raised, looking at her I wouldn't have thought she was the same person as yesterday…but then it wasn't like Lydia to come to school looking like she'd been dragged through a hedge. In her mind her appearance, her reputation was a carefully balanced and planned event, a tactic at her disposal…it was both intimidating and admirable.

"That and the fact that it's good to see you back to normal. I did miss you, Lyd…Study period was kind of lonely yesterday without you!" It was. You try being stuck inside a library all on your own, pawing through pages of books and wishing that you could at least talk to somebody. But only Lydia had my study period and none of our other friends were going to skip class…okay that's a lie, but I wasn't going to ask them to. I knew Stiles would in a heartbeat, Scott not so much, mainly because he wasn't doing so well on the grade front. Scott wasn't stupid, but he'd just been really disorganised and I guess distracted to get his grades so low.

"Good to see I have such an impact on your life." She rolled her eyes at me as we stood outside the doors. I was itching to start moving today, I was filled with the need to do something…which, considering how lazy I am, was quite a surprise. But then spending time with Stiles meant you couldn't stop moving, maybe his energy was rubbing off on me.

"You have an impact on everyone's life, you're _the_ Lydia Martin!" I saw a tiny little smile twitching at the corner of her mouth and I considered my mission accomplished. Lydia probably never would admit to caring about me, but I knew she did in her own way…otherwise she wouldn't spend time around me, she wasn't someone who just tolerated people. She either liked you or she didn't. Each position had different effects on where you stood.

"She has a point, Lyd!"

I smiled at Allison before gesturing to the set of double doors in front of us, "Thank you, Alley, now are we going in…or?" It seemed as if Lydia steeled herself, I could completely understand why. People were going to be gossiping about what happened to her and Dori for a while until something better turned up. Lydia was used to attention, but the attention she usually got was awe and adoration rather than sneaky little gossip and nasty words. It wasn't a scenario she was used to…but Lydia was pretty good at adapting to social changes.

Her shoulders were set and she looked almost like she was going into battle as I followed her and Allison into the school. I thought she was going to stop for a moment, but her shoulders squared and she kept moving, head held high. It was a time where I genuinely believed Lydia was a Warrior Queen or something close to it. She held herself so tall despite her height and looked down on everyone no matter their size or station. She was Lydia Martin.

"I'll see you in class, I need to stop by my locker first!" I waved the two of them off and scurried down the corridor, I knew Dori was in today if Lydia was, I just hadn't seen her yet. Presumably she was off glaring at Jackass or even finding a way to woo Lydia officially. Now that Lydia was back on her feet I had no doubt that Dori might actually ask the girl out. She was terrified about doing it, but she was also so frustrated that she'd completely ignore whatever fear she had. Better to find out whether she was liked or not, than to pine in secret…or at least that was her way of thinking. Personally I'd rather pine in secret or just live in denial to avoid embarrassment and rejection. It made life easier.

Tuesday's despite what everyone seemed to think were no easier than Monday's in fact they might be worse because there was the inevitability of the rest of the week and the reminder of the day before. Although turning up to my locker and seeing my two favourite teenage boys standing around it was an uplifting point of my day…even if there'd been some weirdness yesterday thanks to Dori's comments.

"Hey, boys, what're you doing here?" I didn't even need to ask for Stiles to step forward and unlock my locker for me. It was routine if one of the boys was around they helped with the locker issue…otherwise I'd be there for about five minutes just trying to unlock it…will I ever be skilled at opening my locker? Probably not.

"I thought we could walk to class together" I frowned into my locker, pulling out a bunch of books I'd need as Scott spoke. We only ever walked to class together if we were in the same class otherwise we all went our separate ways…the only exception to that rule had been when I first started school and didn't know where I was bloody going. My sense of navigation still wasn't too hot, but it was passable.

"Scott, we don't have the same class right now…" I had history (aka the best subject of them all) with Allison and Lydia (It was the only class I was better than Lydia in, and the only one I could help her with rather than the other way around) and they had additional gym. Being on the Lacrosse team apparently meant they had more lessons of gym class than me. Not that I was complaining-gym class and I weren't exactly best buddies, we were kind of like Darth Vader and Obi Wan Kenobi, we had a falling out somewhere around the age of 12.

"Still can walk you to class"

"Mmmm, suspicious, McCall, suspicious" Not that I didn't want my boys walking me to class, but it just seemed like they were trying to keep more of an eye on me. I wondered if it had anything to do with the talk I had with Stiles about seeing…well about seeing red eyes everywhere…it would make sense that Stiles and Scott would be slightly more guarded and watchful of me if they thought something was wrong. I just hoped it didn't turn into smothering.

"Apparently there's a no friend walking policy now, buddy" I closed my locker and rolled my eyes at Stiles who grinned down at me, a hand patting Scott on the shoulder.

"We-" I was about to retort when my phone went off in my pocket playing a familiar tune from a certain dinosaur movie. It wasn't very often that I got a phone call and so I told the boys to wait for a moment, not even checking the caller ID as I answered. "Hello?"

" _Charlotte, its Ben…_ " Firstly my question was why the hell was Ben calling me. We hadn't spoken since he apologised under pain of death by his mother for calling me clingy. In fact I had thought that he'd completely forgotten me…I was tempted to put the phone down, but the upset that rode heavily in his voice stopped me. He was sad. Something was wrong.

As much as I'd love to say I didn't care about Ben I couldn't, he had been my best friend for years and while he wasn't anymore and we'd had a lot of issues with the move to America I couldn't just turn my back on him completely. It just wasn't in my nature.

I did my best to ignore the piercing stares I was getting from Scott and Stiles, I knew they were curious and I could practically hear them hiss when they heard me speak Ben's name. They still weren't fond of him…not that I could exactly blame them, "What do you want, Ben? Is everything okay?"

" _I'm fine, I just wanted to talk…_ " I knew he wasn't fine. That was the biggest lie I'd ever heard. It made me wonder if I was just being used, but I brushed it off. Ben was my friend even if we'd had difficulties as of late and I wasn't going to start making up some ridiculous thought just because. I was stressed enough without adding to it.

"Okay…" I caught Stiles and Scott frowning and whispering out of the corner of my eye. Scott seemed to be telling Stiles not to do something…which seemed to be the usual progression of things. Stiles was the idiotic smart person who did stuff on impulse and Scott was the relatively all around smart or at least reasonable person who stopped or tried to stop Stiles doing stuff…and I watched on as they did something stupid and sometimes encouraged it if I was involved.

" _How've you been?_ " To say the conversation was awkward was perhaps an understatement-previously we had been able to talk easier than Jim Kirk could flirt with women…and now it seemed like everything was unsure and forced. It wasn't exactly pleasant, but I wasn't quite running for the hills yet. I was just unsure why Ben had shown a sudden interest in me again. I felt like being a kid's toy and being picked out of the toy box for the first time in months. Why?

I leant myself back against my locker, an eye on the clock across the hall. My gaze shifted between the ticking arms and the two boys, one of which looked about ready to storm over already. I knew Stiles was the one who disliked Ben the most. He was my person and that went both ways. He was pretty much ready to beat Ben into the ground if he ever saw him in person and it was both amusing at times and worrying that Ben had incurred such a violent reaction in him…I had a feeling part of it was to do with Stiles' position as best friend that he'd taken from Ben. Perhaps territorial was the word.

"Okay, Dori was in an accident so it's been a bit off, but the boys have been really supportive…" Unlike him I wasn't going to hide the fact that things hadn't been 100% sunshine and cheer. Sometimes I was inclined to shy away from sharing stuff, but not something like this. It wasn't some personal issue that I wanted to keep tight to my chest. I continued to watch the clock tick closer and closer to class time and wished he hadn't phoned at such an awkward time…not that I could blame him, time zones weren't the most helpful things.

" _Oh…I'm sorry…the boys?_ " I blinked almost in disbelief that he didn't remember the boys. He'd been in direct conflict with them. How…It made my hackles raise in an odd sort of way and I felt bad for feeling so defensive, but I couldn't help it. After all he'd done he couldn't even be bothered to remember them?

"Stiles and Scott, you know the two you told me I was being too clingy with?" I tried my best not to scoff or bite out my words. I didn't want to start a fight. It was obvious Ben wasn't having the best of times at the moment and I didn't want to exacerbate that by being too quick to join the defensive. Even if he was an ass. He was still a friend of sorts.

" _Oh, right…yeah_ " I glanced from the clock to the wonder twins who stood there practically urging me to get to class already. It was odd to see them so eager to actually go to class, but maybe they just didn't want to get in even more trouble than they usually did. Which was a fair amount. I can't imagine what their parent-teacher conference is going to talk about.

"Look, I've got to get to class, but phone me in a few hours, yeah? Maybe we can talk then?" I didn't even know how our conversation would go down. Not especially comfortable based on this one…but if he wasn't feeling good I couldn't just let him roll about in the upset. It just wasn't right to just leave him, y'know? Or maybe I should have. I wasn't even sure where we stood anymore, were we even friends?

" _Sure…uh, yeah, okay_ " I sighed heavily as Ben hung up, throwing my phone in my pocket and turning back to Scott and Stiles gesturing with a nod of my head that we could start moving.

We always had a particular way of walking together; I was always in the middle, there was a certain symmetry to it, me the short one surrounded by the tall ones. It was like being flanked by bodyguards in a way, what with their somewhat imposing stature, not that either of them were actually intimidating in the slightest.

"What did _he_ want?" I tried to ignore the obvious dislike that radiated from the question, the practical sneer in Stiles' voice. I'd tried to get him to stop being so angry about the 'Ben incident' or as he called him 'that *insert expletive here*'. It at first had been like being pulled by both friends in two separate directions, but I knew Stiles had a right to be angry. Heck I should have still been angry, but I just couldn't keep that anger up for that long.

"Dude, stop." Scott looked over at him with a look that pretty much said that he was being out of line. Scott was aware of my moral dilemma, of the uncomfortable feeling I get when Stiles gets rowdy about Ben…and being the beautiful creature he is has a tendency to try and soothe it. Even if it wasn't that common an occurrence. Ben hadn't phoned me in a good month and I'd almost forgotten about the whole thing until today.

"Ben just wants to talk…I don't think everything's okay with him back home" In fact I knew everything wasn't okay. Otherwise he probably wouldn't have called and he certainly wouldn't have sounded so sad. I was torn between feeling glad that it wasn't going well for him after everything and feeling bad that it was going badly. I wasn't quite ready to let my friend go and I wasn't sure why.

"As if he deser-" Scott cut him off, before Stiles could say something worse. I wasn't angry at him. I understood why he didn't like Ben, I wasn't all too thrilled with the guy myself…but hearing one friend bitch about another was just too dark and angry for me to be comfortable. "Seriously, stop." Luckily Scott was a sort of saving grace at times. A puppy with more understanding then he even knew, even if academics sometimes confused the hell out of him.

We walked on in silence, which was okay with me. I was turning everything over in my head, bit by bit trying to figure out why I was suddenly getting phone calls from Ben and how I felt about that. How I felt in general lately…and also why I was feeling so under the weather, maybe I was coming down with something?

The next few lessons I had went slow…although maths with Stiles and the others wasn't that bad. It was just peculiar how often Stiles had tried to get my attention in that lesson, more so than usual and I was curious as to why he felt the need to garner smiles and laughs from me eagerly. It wasn't his usual behaviour especially in maths because he knew I needed to concentrate because I found it ridiculously hard. After passing maths in England I never thought I'd have to do it again…and yet there I was writing down equations and trying to figure out what the curve on the graph would look like.

Lunch was as per usual. I was sat across from Stiles, Scott next door. The others had apparently decided to sit somewhere else today, perfectly reasonable since Lydia and Dori didn't need more things to be gossip over. I was somewhat grateful that Beacon Hills High didn't serve 'healthy' lunch food, chips and what was a form of chicken was always good for lunch especially when it wasn't that expensive.

"You can't deny that Harry and Hermione had chemistry!" I argued, gesturing wildly, a chip in my hand, at Stiles. His arms were crossed and his head already shaking no at me. We'd gotten onto the topic of who should be together in Harry Potter…apparently we had a difference of opinion. Scott was just trying to stay out of it, food stuffed in his mouth and his eyes fixed on Allison across the room. He was still as love sick as ever and it was both adorable and sickening. It also made me feel a tad lonely, not that I'd ever admit to that.

"Yes, I can! Ron and Hermione for life!" I had never taken Stiles for a Romione shipper, but apparently he was quite avid in his love for them. I wasn't sure if it was because Ron was the underdog or because it was the way it went in the books, but he looked ready to tie me to a chair and convince me that I should ship it.

"Seriously?! Scott can you believe this?" Scott practically tore his gaze away from Allison and her 'glorious brown hair' at my words. He looked like he had no idea what was going on and I guessed he probably hadn't even been mildly listening, he tended not to when Stiles and I got into these sorts of discussions also known as arguments.

"Uh…"

"No, no don't say anything, I know it's hard to put into words!" I grinned cheekily at Stiles across the table and popped another chip in my mouth. He was always so serious about these sorts of things and watching him get riled up, but knowing he couldn't hate me was the best thing. It was also somewhat adorable how passionate he got about a fictional pairing from a childhood book series. He had moments where even I (as far into my denial as I was) couldn't disagree with the assessment that he was a loveable dork who needed to stop lest he cause the world to implode…or just cause the whole of Comi-con to come find him and steal him away in the night.

"Hey! He totally sides with m-" Stiles was cut off by my phone buzzing in my pocket again. I put a hand up signalling for him to hold on for a moment. But I could already see the look of distaste that filtered onto his face as I answered it with a quick "Ben?"

Had I been watching I would have noticed Scott lean over to Stiles and mumble something about calming down and not being an idiot. I also would have noticed the way Stiles' HANDS clenched into tightly wound fists and the way he angrily picked at his lunch like it had betrayed him in some way. As it happened I wasn't watching or listening, I was engrossed in talking to Ben.

" _You're my only friend left! The rest have just…_ " Stiles must have heard Ben's response to my question about why he had been calling me and he shoved his tray of food into the middle of the table, clenching his jaw in anger before muttering under his breath.

"Oh so now he wants to be all buddy buddy? Prick…doesn't even deserve to be…." I chose not to listen to his angry mutterings as truthful as they were. I chose to instead focus on the voice on the other end. The voice telling me how his friends had left him, how nobody was talking to him anymore, how he felt so alone…and I felt pity for him.

Because Ben had somehow alienated and lost people and he'd come to me for support and yet…we weren't really friends anymore were we? We didn't speak, the last time we did he was apologising because his mother had told him to…and all of this it was about him talking about his problems. This wasn't about me. I was just a means to an end. Stiles was right. Ben wanted to talk to me because he needed someone to tell him that it wasn't his fault. That he was okay…

While I was talking to Ben, placating him, telling him that it was all okay and that maybe they'd all just outgrown each other, I hadn't noticed Scott trying to pull Stiles back down into his seat nor had I noticed Stiles making to move around the table to my side until he was mere feet away. "Lottie, give me the phone." He held his palm out like a father demanding a toy from a kid. It was almost like he expected me just to listen to him and hand it over. Which, while he did a very good impersonation of Sheriff Stilinski's 'I'm not taking any of your shit' voice, wasn't exactly going to happen.

"What? No!" I pulled the phone from my ear, standing and holding it to my chest. I darted backwards as Stiles lunged forward and did my best to avoid him, but a pair of familiar arms came to wrap around my waist and I struggled to get out of the hold, keeping the phone as far from his hands as possible.

"Stiles!" The only issue really was that while my back was flush against Stiles front and I was wrapped up like that I didn't really have very long arms and definitely not longer than Stiles'. Somehow I managed to get free and I was pretty sure the whole canteen was staring at us as I ducked under his arm a climbed onto the table to gain some height on him, holding the phone high above us.

"Just give me the damn phone!" He scurried onto the table and I made my way off, hoping I'd gain some ground and lose him, until I was all but lifted off of the ground. The arms were tight around me and I hadn't really time to think before I was being spun around and a hand was sliding up my arm and grabbing the phone from it, holding it above my head.

A silence fell over us for a small moment; my chest was pressed tightly against Stiles', my head just coming to around his shoulder, are faces awfully close and I felt like I could barely breathe which was an odd sensation to have around one's best friend. Maybe it was more normal considering I was practically merged with him, we were that close. I snapped out of the daze as quickly as I could, trying to ignore whatever heat had filled my cheeks and trying to reach the phone held feet above me.

"Stiles, give me back the phone!" We both knew I couldn't reach it and after trying again and again I merely slumped against him and let him lower the phone to his ear without trying to grab it. I chose instead to wrap a pair of shaky arms around his waist, scared what I was going to hear leave him and what I might hear from the other end, seeking comfort in the only way I knew how. By this point the majority of the canteen had gone back to talking, giggling and ignoring us. Scott, however, was looking on a touch concerned at what was playing out before him. Probably a bit annoyed that Stiles didn't ever do anything calmly as well.

"You don't get to just decide to talk to Lottie just because you're lonely and everyone left you. You don't get to use her like that, alright? You hurt her. You can't just swoop in and expect to still be the best friend because guess what? News flash for you: I'm her best friend and no amount of sucking up is going to change that, and I'm definitely not about to let you hurt her again." I was warmed at the concern Stiles was showing me; everything from the way his arm tightened around me to the fierce tone to his voice and the way his neck clenched with the way he was speaking, but I was also uncomfortable at the way he was speaking to Ben. But not against it. He was right. I didn't deserve to be used as a last resort friend to make someone feel happy, but that wasn't something I could say no to…I just found it hard to do something I knew was going to upset someone who was once a very good friend.

I couldn't hear what Ben had said in response, his voice a muffled mix of sounds amongst all the others I was surrounded by, but it was obviously not to Stiles' liking because if it was possible his voice darkened even further and he looked ready to hit something. "No, I'm not speaking for her, I'm just telling you what I already know: She's not good at denying people things. Lottie doesn't know how to say no."

I nuzzled deeper into Stiles' flannel shirt at that. He was right. I couldn't do that. I wasn't the type of person to leave people or say no or even say something nasty unless provoked and 9 times out of 10 I felt guilty after I said anything even slightly horrid. I just wasn't built for that. I was soft. I knew I was too soft as well. Too much of a people pleaser. To sensitive and I knew it was going to screw me over most of the time.

" _She hates being called Lottie_ " I could just about make out Ben's muffled words, he was speaking louder, haughty like he knew best. And while he was right that for the most part I disliked the name…he was also wrong as well. Stiles was allowed to call me that. From him it was affectionate and safe and calming. Not irritating or demeaning or even teasing. It was just what Stiles called me and coming from him…it felt natural. It felt nice.

"Not by me she doesn't. I want you to stay away from her. She's better than you. She deserves better than you." I was glad the room had stopped listening to us, stopped staring because I didn't want them to all hear something so obviously protective and kind of personal. Even Scott looked surprised with the way Stiles spat the words out and the way he for once cut an imposing figure that Ben couldn't even see.

"Yeah. Like me. Like Scott. Like all of us here who actually give a crap about her." Stiles hung up the phone, slipping it into my pocket as the bell rang signalling the end of lunch. I went to pull away to go to class, but Stiles held me there pressed to his chest. A sign he wasn't quite done yet.

When that cafeteria was empty he finally spoke, "You know you don't deserve to be treated like that, don't you? You deserve better." Sure I knew. I wasn't that insecure that I felt that I should be used and abused…that didn't make it easy for me to speak up, however. It was hard enough telling myself that Ben wasn't my best friend anymore let alone telling him to leave me alone.

"I know, Stiles…I just…I can't say no, I can't disappoint people…" I had pulled back as far as the arms around me would allow, which was enough for me to properly look up at my friend and enough to see the frown growing on his face. There was personal stuff I didn't tell Stiles. Fears and wants and things that made my anxiety triple. I didn't tell him some things because I was scared how he would react or because I was afraid of upsetting him. I didn't tell him because some things are best kept quiet and not really spoken about, things that I can ignore because they've been there for years.

"You're not going to disappoint anyone, Lottie…" Hands moved to rest on my shoulders and Stiles bent at the knee to look me in the eye. But he was wrong, I'd already disappointed people. Mum for example, I'd definitely disappointed her on multiple occasions.

"But that's what I'm scared of. Not being good enough. Not tough enough. Not kind enough. Not smart enough. I'm scared that I'm just not...enough. Even my dad thought I wasn't-" I cut myself off, suddenly embarrassed by my own honesty.

"No, Lottie, just listen to me. Your dad... none of that's your fault. You're good enough. You're too good. You deserve more than you get." I watched the hands fall from my shoulders, resting by Stiles' side, before I stepped forward. I pulled him into a hug. A proper hug, arms tightly wound around my friend and completely ignoring the fact we were late for class.

"I love you, buddy…" I mumbled into his shirt. For a moment I felt him tense, perhaps in shock before he relaxed. His arms coming back around me and his voice stumbling out a response. "Love you too, idiot…"

"We…we should get to class, Coach is going to kill us…" He was right, after splitting apart and grabbing our stuff we had the pleasure of Finstock's sarcasm and annoyance at us being late to Economics. Surprisingly he didn't give either of us detention. I had a feeling it was because Stiles (as bench worthy as he was) was on the Lacrosse team and was needed in case a tonne of people got knocked out and/or injured on the field. Or maybe Finstock just liked us or was in a decent mood…either way we got away with being late and I tried to stop myself from thinking too much on the words that had been said to me.

Did Stiles really believe I was a good person…that I was more than enough? There was something refreshing about that. Knowing that I had at least one person I couldn't even deny would stay no matter how much I ran or how hard I pushed. Maybe Stiles wasn't going to leave and if he didn't leave then Scott wouldn't…it made me feel…lighter. Better. Happier. And considering all the complete rubbish that had been going on lately with creepy eyes, attacks, and uncomfortable therapy sessions it was nice to have something refreshingly pleasant come about.

In that class was pretty much all of us to be honest; Lydia, Scott, me, Stiles, Allison, even Dori. It meant that I could catch up usually on what was going on or at least know if something had changed dramatically and I could already tell that something had happened. While I couldn't ask, seeing as both Dori and Lydia sat away from me, I could tell something had gone on while I had been off doing my own things. Mainly because Dori was glancing more and more at Lydia to the point that it was almost every five seconds and also because Lydia seemed to be sending smiles in Dori's direction more than she usually did.

I wasn't sure if maybe it was just the fact that they were both finally back at school or whether something else had happened, but I was determined to find out. Which was why when Dori got into the passenger side seat of my dying car I all but started interrogating her as I drove the car away from the school.

"What happened?" The roads were awfully clear straight after the school let out today, usually a bazillion cars were on the road trying to get me to wrap my car around a bloody tree. But I was glad for the empty roads today especially as I was easily distracted by conversation.

"Wha-"

"Don't. I know something's happened, so just out with it." There was no use her trying to hide it, it was like trying to shove an elephant in a coat closet. Impossible. Or at the least very hard.

"I…I told her."

"What?" I twisted by head towards Dori, blinking once, twice, three times, before looking back at the road. Did she do what I think she did? Did she actually…if she did I was going to give her a medal for bravery because damn.

"I told Lydia that I liked her. That I wanted to be with her, I asked her out…" The nerves had slowly dissipated from her voice and instead it was filling up with a ridiculous amount of giddiness that even I was feeling it. I was eager to know if they were together if…if finally my sister was with a girl she was so smitten with that she should hardly concentrate sometimes. She was so into Lydia I had no doubt she'd take a bullet for her. And that terrified me and thrilled me all at the same time.

"And?"

"She said yes…we're dating…we're actually dating and…Jesus…this is so surreal, I mean she was confused and scared, she's still unsure about the whole dating another girl thing…but we're getting somewhere." Dori would go as slow as Lydia needed. It wasn't something easy coming to terms with a truth about yourself after years of telling yourself you're the opposite. Dori had no experience with that. Lydia wasn't comfortable in that regard…but Dori was and Dori knew what Lydia was feeling, she'd been there. And as brash as Dori was, she could also be patient and caring when she wanted to be.

"Look at you! Smooth as silk, you got a date happening or…?"

"Friday, we're going out Friday." I hadn't seen Dori smile that blindingly in a long while and I was glad that she did. I was glad that she was happy and that finally she and Lyd were moving forward even if it was slowly. Whether they'd be good for each other or not only time would tell…but I had hope and I had faith that they needed each other and that they'd help each other.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Apologises for the long wait! I can't guarantee regular uploads for Dear Rabbit at the moment mainly due to the fact i'm ridiculously busy and therefore don't know when i'll have time to write and when I won't, but do know that i'm always trying my best to write and to write to a good standard so that when chapters do come out they're enjoyable for everyone! Once again sorry for the long wait and thank you for sticking with me :) <3 **

The day was going incredibly slowly by the time I got to work at the Station after school. Why was it going so slowly you ask? I wasn’t feeling exactly great; my head had been banging for the majority of the day and it felt like King Kong was jumping around in there, my nose was stuffy and I felt clammy and feverish. That being said, I wasn’t going to admit that I felt as bad as I did. I had a job and school, commitments that I couldn't just shove to the side and ignore. So I took some painkillers and kept any moaning and groaning to myself.  
I was filing some documents for deliveries when Mr. Stilinski sidled up to my desk, coffee in hand, "Hey, Kiddo, are you coming round for dinner tonight?"  
"What?" I looked up at him blinking slowly. Dinner? Tonight? I wasn't sure if the confusion was just because of my hazy mind or because I genuinely had no clue. Perhaps it was a little bit of both, I'd had trouble taking notes let alone answering questions today in class. It was nightmare. Curse whoever gave me their bug. Asshole.  
"It's your cooking night...are you feeling alright?" The Sheriff raises and eyebrow before they furrowed the way the Stilinski men always seemed to do when they were concerned or worried. I wonder if it's genetic or merely an upbringing thing.  
I raised a hand to my forehead rubbing the skin there soothingly before looking up at him over my glasses. "I'm fine, sorry...I’m just tired is all. But, yeah, sure I’m still coming round," I said, faking a smile, despite the fact I had no real desire to go tonight. As much as I loved dinner with the Stilinskis I just wanted to go home, curl up in a ball under my covers, and sleep off whatever evil plague I’d caught from someone. Maybe it was Stacy in history; she looked rather peaky the other day...or maybe Brett who quite literally ran into me a few days back in the corridors on his way to the nurse...whoever it was could burn in the fiery depths of hell.  
"Alright, just let me know if you need to go home...you sure you're just tired?" The concern was heart-warming but it made me feel worse for lying in the first place and not admitting that I was contagious. I was a walking epidemic waiting to happen.  
"I'm sure. I'm fine, Sheriff honestly!" I said while sniffling into a tissue, my hand waving the Sheriff off. I was relieved when he finally left and I could collapse back into my chair, eyes closed, and breathing heavy. Whoever had given me this sickness was dead and for once I wasn’t joking. It was the sort of sickness where you feel sore all over and like you have no energy at the same time as you refuse to just sit around doing nothing when perhaps really you should have been lazing about.  
The next few hours of work was almost as painful as the whole day at school. What little work I got done wasn’t exactly stellar and I was just glad that my work wasn’t something vital and overly important. Can you imagine if I was a doctor or something? Someone would die…I was so out of it I doubt I could even write a medical report let alone actually aid someone. Good thing I wasn’t a doctor then…  
The Sheriff had actually left before me. Normally, he’d be stuck in the station till way past midnight, but everyone had convinced him to take off at five and I wasn’t done until six. The station was always quiet later in the evenings, most of the deputies kept to themselves. Not that I minded-today I wasn’t exactly feeling up to polite conversation with strangers. Although I had missed the Sheriff checking up on me, it was nice to have that sort of care from people, I’d had it a lot from well…from everyone I knew really. It was just nice. It was nice to be close to people and know that they did care and that you could let yourself care, perhaps even too much. Not that I’d ever really been able to not care about people.  
I wasn’t the last to leave, especially since the station was pretty much open 24/7, in fact I was the one person with the shortest shift, but I wasn’t exactly a qualified adult was I? I doubt I could last filing papers and answering the phone for more than 4 or 5 hours, I was easily bored if I had nothing interesting to do.  
Walking out to my car had me wishing I had a warmer coat and maybe a flashlight, if I was more aware and less out of it I’d have probably have been incredibly uncomfortable. With November approaching fast the days were shorter and colder and the nights scarier, especially with some sort of killer person and/or animal wandering around attacking people…attacking Dori. That and I had a feeling all the attacks had something to do with those red eyes I keep bloody seeing…real or not.  
Turning the key in the ignition of the old fort for a moment it didn’t start. “C’mon, baby…I’m too ill for this rubbish today…” I heaved a sigh, turning the key once more and huffing with relief when the engine spluttered to life and the radio started playing some far too Christmas like tune for mid-October. Although I suppose it was near enough that we could all start panicking about buying Christmas gifts for people…I mean what do you buy your friends for Christmas? Books? A Christmas jumper? Personalised mugs? I’d have to think on it a bit more when I wasn’t halfway to death’s door.  
I was kind of dreading dinner with the Stilinski’s. Not that I didn’t want to spend time with Stiles and John, just that cooking food for people when all you want to do is go to sleep, eat pizza, and drink orange juice, isn’t exactly the highlight of my day. I was also well aware that there was no way I could keep pretending to be in full health when I was coughing, spluttering and moaning every five minutes. Not the good type of moaning either, the moaning that was somewhat reminiscent of a crappy 80s zombie movie.  
I put off getting out of my car, just letting it sit in front of their house for a good while before I decided to move, forcing myself out of the colour and making my way up to their front door. Leaves were everywhere and crunched under my feet as I reached my destination, knocking on the door.  
The house was so incredibly familiar to me, the peeling of the paint on the door, the shape of the windows and the curtains that shrouded the inside of the house from view. The house had really become a refuge for me while everything had been tense back at home…although that tension was slowly dissipating. It didn’t meant that we were all hunky dory and chatting like we used to, but mum and I weren’t ignoring each other and we even said good morning and mum made me breakfast sometimes. The awkwardness was still there and we weren’t quite back to normal, but it was more normal than we had been for weeks and I was more than grateful for that.  
I smiled tiredly at the John as he opened the door, leaning against the door way as he smiled back at me. The Sheriff was never anything but welcoming to me. It was nice, the same could be said about Melissa McCall. Scott’s mum was just as nice to me and just as supportive. It was…nice. “I should probably just get you a key, Kiddo, since you’re here so much…” The jokes weren’t unusual, it had been joked about more than once…Stiles kept trying to get me to just agree to have a key, something about him having one to Scott’s so why don’t I have one to his. I wasn’t something I was against, but it was an odd thought…to have a key to someone else’s house.  
“You don’t need to...” I tilted my head down, rubbing the back of my neck, looking up over my glasses at him. I guess it was just one of those things that felt so private that I couldn’t help but feel bashful about it, like when someone asks you a private question about who you like or why you went to the doctor’s the other day…it was just something that felt odd to be talking about even if it was a simple case of me being asked if I wanted a piece of metal.  
“Well too late, because I already have. Here.” I barely caught the small cold metal in my hands when it was thrown at me and I probably looked a sight trying to grab a hold of it but that wasn’t what concerned me…it just felt…somehow invasive to have a key into someone’s house. Did they trust me that much? What if I decided to sneak in in the middle of the night and scare someone or seek hugs or raid their fridge? But then I guess the most likely thing I would do would be to simply crawl under the covers with Stiles and bug him about how I can’t get to sleep…Still…it felt odd to have a key that wasn’t to my own house or my car. There was, however, no doubt that it raised some affection in me. The Sheriff was lovely and to know that I was trusted and cared for enough to be given a key was…well it was a nice feeling.  
_“Sheriff…”_  
“Don’t Sheriff me, just get in already, Stiles is going Stir crazy waiting for your cooking.” I found myself gripping that key tightly and being pushed into the house. It was warm, the heating obviously on and all the lights were bright and gave a warm glow to the house that I didn’t see when it was lighter outside. The photos along the main corridor had slowly grown, one or two pictures of me with Stiles and Scott…some of us all at Lacrosse games. It really did show the progression of life. We had things, we did things, and everything evolved. Life went on, as it were.  
When I reached half way down the hall, Stiles came tumbling down the stairs in socks, and his pajamas, slipping as he made his way to the bottom step in a hectic mess of teenage boy. Apparently everyday clothing was overrated and instead plaid pajama bottoms were in. Not that his obsession with plaid was anything new.  
“Thank god you’re here, Lottie! I’m starved…” There was something flattering about the reliance that apparently he’d gained for my cooking, it was nice to fit into their little ecosystem, to have a place and to be able to enjoy an evening with them…if only I wasn’t half way to my death bed because of some stupid virus.  
“Yeah…I’ll…I’ll get started on that then...” Stiles followed me as I made my way into the Kitchen, the Sheriff presumably wandering off to do some last minute paperwork or try and figure out what the hell was going on in this town lately. I didn’t envy his job, he was dealing with everything from the deaths to people criticising him for not stopping the attacks…completely ignoring the fact that he had no way of stopping the attacks.  
Stiles had been hovering behind me like a cat waiting for its dinner when it happened it. While I had been pulling vegetables out of the fridge I came over lightheaded and found myself grasping the fridge tightly, knees buckled, blinking away the daze. It was one of those moments where you felt completely out of it before you shook it off and wondered what the blazes had happened.  
“Hey! Are you alright?” I pushed myself back to standing. Stiles had a hand on my back, as if he was waiting for me to keel over, which I might just do if that happened again. Perhaps I was worse than I thought I was...or perhaps I’d worked myself to death all day and needed a lie down.  
“I’m fine, Stiles, I’m just tired…that’s all.” I batted his hands away, closing the fridge, hoping to get away without much notice of my minor incident…not sure why I thought I’d ever get away with such a thing as getting lightheaded around Stiles, especially recently what with him and Scott being on a very protective streak.  
I kept batting away his hands before I gave up, a cold hand was pressed to my forehead, “Are you sure you’re okay? Are you warm? You feel warm!” It was like having a mother hen clucking at you, all the while feeling for your temperature and standing within inches of your face with that look that Stiles gets, the one where he furrows his brow and licks his lips like he’s not quite sure what to do next. If this was just your normal day, the nerves in my stomach would have been full blown…and I wasn’t quite sure why being this close to Stiles recently had made me so undeniably nervous. It was confusing to say the least. But then everything had been confusing recently, from Maths to everyday life.  
“Everything alright in here?” We both pulled back from each other, or more aptly Stiles pulled away from me seeing as I was trapped between a kitchen counter and my best friend as he fretted over me. The Sheriff stood in the doorway to the Kitchen, a file was in his hand, presumably about the recent attacks, deaths, and all around horrific events that had been happening.  
“Lottie’s ill.”  
“I’m fine!” Perhaps that phrase the Lady doth protest too much applied here a little too aptly. At Stiles obvious concern and probably my own sickly pallor the Sheriff set aside his file in favour of placing a hand, much like Stiles had, to my brow. I felt like a soldier stuck between Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole. Mothered. Possibly smothered and, though I wouldn't admit it, preening from the caring attention.  
“You’ve definitely got a temperature, you need to go lie down. Stiles?” It was as if John Stilinski knew that I’d protest and he probably did. No doubt the Sheriff knew me quite well now.  
“I’ve got it, daddio!” I found myself being guided by pair of hands on my shoulders out of the Kitchen and back towards the staircase. I wasn’t quite sure how I felt about the guiding, but I did know that Stiles’ hands were pleasantly cold on my feverish skin.  
“I’m f-" I was cut off by a loud cough that probably completely wrecked my lungs, "Fine, honestly, love” I didn't really have the energy to argue with him or even to really lift my feet properly as I was helped up a staircase and along a hallway causing me to stumble here and there and probably make Stiles’ job harder than it already was.  
Had I been able to see Stiles' face and had I realised the word that slipped out of my mouth I may have seen the bright flush to Stiles' face all the way down to his neck and made the connection between that and 'love'. But I didn’t, I continued on obliviously into my best friend’s room.  
"No you're not and you know it." The humour in his voice, I would later reflect on, was probably down to my seemingly childlike behaviour.  
I stopped protesting as I found myself being sat on a bed and helped out of my shoes and socks carefully before being tucked under the covers of Stiles' bed like a little Charlotte blanket burrito. I liked burritos and I liked being wrapped up in nice smelling and warm bedding. There was something naturally familiar and comforting about it all. A mild reminder of days when I was little, being tucked into bed and helped to sleep despite however ill I was. It was oddly parental coming from Stiles.  
"You really should have taken the day off, Lottie..." he was probably right. Most people who feel feverish an ill don't go to school then work and then try to cook a meal for themselves and their friend's family. In fact most people do the smart thing of lying in bed all day and complaining about how yucky they feel. I felt like Han Solo who’d just fallen out of carbonite and I was probably about as obstinate as him as well. That, however, didn’t make me smart.  
"Ngn...I had work to do…" I didn't really for the most part my grades were good, my homework was handed in and I had no obligations to fulfil...all in all there was no reason but pure stubbornness to go into school and work that day. But stubbornness does as stubbornness wants.  
"I applaud your dedication...but you're really not well...even if it's only a virus." I snuggled deeper under the covers as Stiles sat beside me making a funny dip in the bed and placing a comforting hand where he assumed my leg was. Which was in fact my leg, not that you could really tell when I was snuggling underneath bed covers. They were at that comfortable coldness, the cool type of bed covers that aren’t quite freezing and are lovely to lay under.  
"I'm fine now; I’m warm and comfortable and you're here" The way those words were said was similar to that of a sleepy five year old who was also quite possibly under the influence of painkillers or some other form of medication. I did feel mightily odd and wasn’t sure if it was down to sleepiness or the fever that I’m sure had gotten increasingly worse during the day.  
"You are so out of it..." I didn’t quite realise that Stiles was laughing at how I was behaving, even if I wasn’t all there I would never say I was totally out of it. After all I was still awake enough to respond to him wasn’t I? "I'm going to go make you some food and get dad to phone your mum...stay in bed, miss." Something about being called ‘miss’ had me giggling to myself like a little girl. It was just so odd! Who calls anyone miss, let alone me? Well maybe the bank, I’m pretty sure I was a miss to them... _weird..._  
I nodded my consent to him going away, my lips smacking together lazily. My eyes trailed after him as he slowly left the room taking a few last glances behind him possibly, I suppose, to check on me at least one last time before leaving me alone to go downstairs.  
My head rolled on my neck from side to side as I gazed absentmindedly around Stiles’ very blue room. Nothing really seemed different, piles of books and paper atop his computer desk, the same posters and walk decals the same everything...except a little wooden frame on this bedside table that caught my eye.  
It was unassuming and rather plain at first glance, but no matter how dazed I was I would never be able to ignore what rested happily in that wooden frame. A little pencil drawing; obviously crumpled and slightly stained paper covered in strategically placed pencil marks to resemble a face. A face I knew well. A face I had drawn in that exact way.  
When I gave Stiles that drawing all that time ago and he said he’d frame it...I didn’t believe him, why would I? I felt it was a crappy little painting that wasn’t really worth much at all. But he had. He’d framed it like it was worth something and I couldn’t help but stay like that curled up on my side gazing fondly at the frame, a too happy smile on my face at the thought that it really did mean something. That I and my gifts meant something.  
“What are you doing?” My head felt awfully heavy as I lifted it to look at the boy stood in his own doorway, a metal tray in his hands with what looked like a bowl of soup and a glass of orange juice on it. He looked confused by the ridiculously large grin on my face as I tried to push myself into a sitting position, not even head rush getting rid of the smile.  
“You framed it...” I watched him walk across the room setting the tray down on his desk before making his way back to the bed, the glass being sat beside that lovely little frame gently. Before he simply stood in front of me checking my temperature again as he spoke obviously unaware of how much that tiny frame meant to me. Was this what he felt like whenever I wore his hoodie? I hoped so…it was a nice feeling and Stiles deserved nice feelings.  
“Your drawing? Of course I did...you made it for me.” He really didn’t understand and I didn’t quite know how to get the words to describe how I was feeling out, especially not with my head buzzing at me. So I did what perhaps I do best.  
Stiles let out a surprised “oh!” as I wrapped my arms around his waist from my sitting position, hugging myself to him as best I could to share what I was feeling. The gratitude, the immense welling if affection in my chest, what it all meant to me. I wanted to convey all those big feelings that that little frame had given me. I wanted him to know things that I didn’t quite understand myself, but I wanted him to know.  
“I’m guessing that you like it then?” I nodded muffling a ‘yes’ into his pajama top before hiding my face into it completely. Being Scott’s friend...being Stiles’ friend was one of the best decisions in my life. I’d never been so comfortable around friends, I’d never felt so happy being with an individual...I wasn’t sure if I’d like a world without Stiles and Scott.  
“You going to sit back and eat my soup or am I going to have to warm it up again?” I held onto the hug a little longer, I wasn’t really feeling like I wanted to let go and I wasn’t really feeling my eating anything even if this was the first time Stiles had ever attempted to make me food of any description. It was no doubt one of the few chances I’d ever have to eat food made by him, but the thought of eating wasn’t a pleasant one.  
Despite my displeasure at the thought of eating anything I did unwind my arms from around him and sit back, letting him pull the pillows behind me up to support me like I was in a hospital. I found myself rather quickly being offered a hot bowl of soup and a spoon, the soup itself appeared to be chicken and smelt, despite my lack of want to eat, rather nice.  
“Be careful, it’s hot.” I rather visibly raised an eyebrow at the overt mothering that was going on, with Stiles tucking a tea towel around my neck like I was three at dinner time. _“Yes, mum.”_ I may have been ill but apparently my sarcasm was still perfectly intact. I didn’t need to look to know that Stiles had rolled his eyes at me as he urged me to eat.  
“Dad phoned Norman, he dropped round some things so you can just stay here rather than driving all the way home” I doubt I’d have any hope of driving at all so it was nice to know that I was sorted for the night, not that the two Stilinski men would let me drive myself home anyway. Not if they thought I was too ill. I nodded in acknowledgement as I started on the soup in my lap.  
The soup itself actually settled rather gently in my stomach and my previous belief that it might make me sick was entirely wrong. While it wasn’t the best soup and I had a feeling the Sheriff actually heated it up as Stiles probably would have managed to set it on fire, it did leave a warm feeling in my stomach and gave me something to stop the empty ache there. It was the oddest experience I’d ever had, however; with Stiles watching me eat almost as if he expected me to find a way to choke on soup any minute. I didn’t and felt a little better after eating my soup and drinking some of the glass of orange juice.  
“Thank you...” I let myself slump back down in the bed, hiking the covers back up me to stop the slight chill I had started to feel. I felt a fair bit better than earlier and seriously hope that this was simply a twenty four hour bug and not one that was going to persistently bug me for the next five weeks of my life. There was nothing fun about being ill, not even in the slightest and although being looked after was lovely I’d much rather be fit as a fiddle or even mildly okay...  
“I can’t let my best girl die of the plague can I?” I squinted up at him curling in on myself as he sat himself back down next to me. He’d never called me anything like that at all. It was weirdly flattering, an unusual fluttering in my stomach that I convinced myself was just because it was nice to be someone’s something and not anything but platonic at all because why would it be anything but platonic? Right? Right...  
_“’Best girl’?”_ The words felt odd and unusual on my tongue, not bad, but unfamiliar. Maybe it was because I’d never said those words before or because I didn’t quite understand how they applied to me. Awkward, skittish, clingy, and hyper me. They just didn’t seem to fit but they must have, otherwise he wouldn’t have said them in the first place...I had little doubt that Stiles walked around with his heart partially on his sleeve and that he said what he meant nothing less and nothing more.  
“Yeah?” It was almost as if he was confused that I’d question that phrasing, but we knew a lot of girls and one of them he’d been in love with since the eighth grade, so it wasn’t completely unusual that I’d question those two little words. After all, how long had I really known Stiles? Nearly 2 months if that? Admittedly in that time over three quarters of my time was spent with him and Scott, but still...I figured a certain red head would still be his best girl, especially considering she actually acknowledged his presence now.  
“I thought Lyd was your best girl?” He looked torn between laughing at the concept (which seemed rather strange considering who we were talking about) and looking rather sad whether at the fact Lydia was no longer a real option or because I seemed disbelieving of the fact I could be possibly considered ‘best girl’ I wasn’t too sure. It wasn’t something I’d ever heard before. Sure, Stiles was my person and as far as I knew I was his and yes he was my best friend, but that title had something a bit more important meaning too it. What that was I’d never let myself entertain...or I pretended I’d never entertain the idea of it being more than platonic in the slightest.  
“Well she doesn’t argue with me over Jar Jar Binks or eat fast food with me does she? Besides isn’t she starting a thing with Dori anyway?” Maybe I just wasn’t prepared to see Stiles unattached as it were, heck the moment I met him he almost immediately linked himself with Lydia. While he had never dated her and probably never would, the idea that he was ‘in love’ with her was something that always made him seem attached. Maybe because he was such a loyal person that I could never imagine him getting with someone while he liked someone else. It was just...it felt different to think that that attachment was completely gone.  
“Uh...yeah, they have a date soon...” It was also increasingly awkward to think that my beloved sister was finally getting it on with Lydia and that Stiles was just okay with that? They’d had such a strong rivalry for a while, heck there was a period of a week where they refused to even talk to each other. It was...weird.  
“I’m not upset. You know that, right? I’m glad she’s with Dori and not Jackson...” I think we were all glad that she wasn’t with Jackass anymore. That dick didn’t deserve Lydia with how he treated people and I was happy, happy that Dori had the girl. Dori was happy and I’d never seen her act so much like a twelve year old with a crush. I liked how happy a simple yes to a date had made her. I liked how Lydia had started to open Dori up a little and soften her edges.  
“Bu-“ Stiles cut me off and I wasn’t quite sure where the energy for this conversation had even come from in the first place, but I liked that he was telling me how he was thinking. I liked that he knew that I would worry. I liked that he went out of his way to explain. To put me at ease. I liked that over the last few months Stiles had learnt to read me, not quite as well as a book, but well enough that he understood.  
“I know, I know I liked her for a long time but...not like that anymore, honestly I’m okay with it.” I wasn’t all that sure...was he really okay with it? Was he really not deeply in love with Lydia anymore or was he lying to make me feel better. I rationalised that Stiles had never lied to me...or at least I wasn’t aware that he had. Maybe if I knew what I would later know I’d rethink that statement.  
“Promise?” I looked up at him with perhaps the most seriousness I’d had the whole time I’d been in the house. I wanted to make sure he really was okay like how he had made sure that I was okay today. I really hoped he wasn’t lying that he was done with something that would probably only end in heart break for him. I had a fair amount of protectiveness over Stiles...He was good to me. He meant a lot to me and I didn’t ever want to see him truly hurt not even when he was being an arse because the flip side was this; a kind caring idiot who looked out for me even when I was being simultaneously silly and hard headed.  
“Promise, cross my heart hope to die.” He even made a little gesture of a cross over where his heart would be. Despite the serious conversation I knew that he was also humouring me as if I was still in that dazed state, but I really didn’t mind it all that much.  
“Please don’t die.” His words, however, did go somewhat over my head. It was perhaps proof that I was still under the influence of a fever, that and the fact that I could feel myself becoming increasingly drowsy and found myself snuggling further into the bedding. I chose to lay on my side to watch Stiles as he talked. He was calm like the early morning; quiet...perhaps aware of how I was feeling or what I was thinking...he was at ease and his voice was gentle and rather soothing to my sleepy ears.  
“Hey, I’m here to stay...you are stuck with me.” A hand reached out a stroked a piece of hair to push it behind my ear, the motion and the continued light caressing of the birds nest top my head was one that had me relaxing further and letting out a little sigh. It felt like when I was little laying in my mother’s lap as she played and stroked my hair. It was lovely and familiar...safe almost. It was a time when Stiles’ usually erratic behaviour was quiet, as if it knew that now wasn’t the time for heavy handedness or loud noises or even twitchy fidgeting.  
“I like being stuck with you, y’know, even when it’s a break down in the middle of nowhere...” At the time it was uncomfortable, but only because of why we were there. In the morning it was uncomfortable but only because of the whispers that everyone seemed to pass around. But I liked my time with him. I liked feeling like we were the only two people in the world even if it was scary at first. Because Stiles made me slightly less scared and slightly braver each day I was around him. That’s what a good friendship does after all. It gives and it takes. It improves you.  
“I like being stuck with you too, Lottie...” I felt the drowsiness really start to kick in like a sudden punch to the gut. Except it hurt less and had my eyes fluttering to stay open at every blink. It made the bed feel cosier. I made the room feel warmer. It made Stiles sound more soothing and it made me want to drift off into that nice place called dreamland.  
I forced my next words out wanting to sleep, but also knowing how my feverish brain wanted to sleep as well. “Can we snuggle?” It had taken a while to get both Scott and Stiles used to my level of physicality, the need which I had to just be physically close to people. They had expressed rather vehemently after the ‘clingy’ incident that they were fond of it. That it was new, but not unwelcome and it made my life so much easier at points like this. That they just understood that I needed that closeness, that it wasn’t weird.  
“You wanna snuggle?” I knew he wanted to double check that it wouldn’t make me uncomfortable now or in the morning. But I knew I was fine...when has I ever rejected a chance to snuggle in my life?  
_“Uh huh.”_ I confirmed nodding my head tiredly and purposefully moving over in the bed to make more room for when Stiles ultimately decided to crawl in with me. The fact that I was still in the majority of my day clothes didn’t bother me in the slightest. In fact I hardly thought about it even if I’d regret sleeping in them in the morning. It really seemed of little consequence at that exact moment in time. Like it was just a little blade of grass in a forty acre field.  
“Okay. We’ll snuggle...” Stiles lent over pulling my glasses off of me and placing them on the bedside table carefully before peeling back his half of the covers and crawling in. He laid on his back and outstretched his arm and I wiggled my way under it. My head resting just above Stiles’ heart, one of my hands rested on his chest near his shoulder, one underneath me. Stiles’ arm wrapped around my back, tapping and stroking a pattern I could hardly feel over my clothing. But it did the job of soothing me nonetheless. I found myself closing my eyes and sighing happily, the warmth of the body next to me, my own tiredness and the movements across my back lulling me to sleep. The fact that I was in my day clothes not even crossing my mind once as I drifted off into that long awaited abyss called sleep.


	22. Chapter 22

Slow. It was slow and contentedly the way in which I woke up that morning. Cocooned in warmth, softness beneath my head and light sounds of sleep in my ear from another person. Little sleepy words that sounded incoherent. Unlike all the stories I had ever read, I didn’t find myself jerking awake at the knowledge of the other person, but merely sighing lightly and snuggling further into them. I was far too comfortable and too sleepy to really feel shock at the knowledge of the other person or care enough to jerk awake. The thing that made me and the other body wake with a jolt was the loud shrill harping of an alarm clock blearing on and on and on. It was like a great big air raid siren that refused to let the feeling of sleep return to me.

I could hear the other person who I’d identified as Stiles grumbling and groaning about being abruptly awoken when he could easily be sleeping and having whatever dream he was having. At least I wasn’t the only one who disliked being awoken at whatever godawful hour it was. I felt somewhat stuffy and sickly still but whatever horrendous plague had come over me yesterday as if it was Athens in 429BC had, for the most part, gone away. I felt more than saw Stiles’ arm moving off of my lower back to slam on the snooze button like I’m sure he did every morning before school. The arm quickly settled back against my lower back, curling around it to pull me tighter into our apparent napping session. I was quick to settle back against him with my face nuzzled into the crook of his neck, sighing as I started to drift back to sleep. It was nice to just sleep next to someone, to have that comforting presence of another person...particularly with my recent paranoia.

Somewhere outside the room I could just about make out the sound of fairly heavy foot falls making their way nearer to the two of us. Followed quickly by the opening of the door to Stiles’ room. The foot falls stopped a few steps into the room and apparently the owner was unimpressed by our unanimous decision to ignore them and continue with our early morning nap.

“C’mon you two, get up.” I lifted my head with much effort and a blurred figure appeared to be in the doorway without my glasses on all I could really make out was the sandy coloured uniform that the Sheriff always wore. I grumbled returning my face back to its place in the crook of Stiles’ neck complaining quietly about the parent in the doorway.

“Nooo!” I let Stiles grapple with the bed covers pulling them over the top of us with a loud noise as if it would be enough to deter the Sheriff and return us back to our nap. Surprisingly, bed covers do not make good invisibility cloaks and the Sheriff moved further into the room hands grasping at the covers and pulling them all the way off of the two of us. We must have looked a frightful sight grumbling and moaning, curled up in the centre of the bed watching as sleep was ripped from our hands. 

The Sheriff said nothing after that, merely left us lying there. The sound of the front door closing and a car starting told me that he’d left to go to the station and I couldn’t help but get that antsy feeling that told me I should get up no matter how comfortable I was. I shifted myself out of Stiles’ arms as I sat up, one arm rubbing my eyes as the other shifted about on the bedside table in an attempt to get my glasses, nearly knocking them off in the process. Stiles was still groaning about sleep when I got my glasses on and nearly panicked at the time on his clock. One hour. We had one hour to get up, get dressed, eat, and get to school. One hour!

“Stiles, get up.” I scurried across the room to the bag that was clearly mine and clearly had been dropped off by Norman last night after the Sheriff had phoned him. If there was one thing I could say about Norman it was that he was a godsend in many ways. I can’t imagine what it’d look like if I stumbled into school in clothes from the other day, my hair a mess, and without any of my books or pens…it probably wouldn’t go down too well especially with the teachers and Mr. Harris, and with Parent Teacher Conference in merely a few days I really didn’t want to piss of Mr. Harris any more than I already had. The last thing I needed was mum being disappointed in me about school…although my maths grade was probably already disappointing, just scraping a C isn’t exactly the best. Perhaps I should talk to Lydia about that? Even Scott, who was doing badly in school at the moment, was doing better than me in Maths…

“Why..?” I pulled clothes from the bag, hardly listening to the shuffling of Stiles and the whining about getting up and being a productive member of society. Sometimes I wonder how he ever made it to school on time, if he was like this every morning then he really should get praise for regularly attending class despite his apparent hatred of mornings. I, on the other hand, was a bit more willing to get up, especially if I had to go do something.

“We have school in an hour, get up!” Apparently he gave up attempting to put the inevitable day of actually doing things other than lying in bed off and decided to actually get out of bed, as I walked off to get changed in the bathroom.

My reflection wasn’t that much different than normal, I was a little pale, the result of still being mildly unwell, but not to the extent I was yesterday. My hair was as per usual an untameable mess that probably would never change no matter how hard I tried to do something with it. The dark circles that had recently been more prominent had seemingly faded slightly and I looked…well I didn’t look as bad as I sometimes had and I knew that I was feeling decently refreshed, or at least for me. Probably to do with being completely knocked out from whatever plague I had caught yesterday. Now all I had to do was get through the school day, remember that I had the day off work until next Tuesday, and make sure I kept on top of the Dydia situation that was slowly growing in prominence.

The very thought that my sister had finally gotten promised a date with Lydia was a good one, she liked the redhead a lot and I can’t imagine how much she’s freaking out right now, what with the date being tonight…the date is tonight…and that was what I was apparently forgetting. Well, a detour this evening couldn’t possibly hurt, maybe a little bonding with Allison and a little spying; it’s not as if it would do any harm right? Right. 

By the time I got my stuff together Stiles was sat downstairs, dressed, a bag by his chair and two plates of toast sat there. We ate quickly, which actually meant stuffing toast into our mouths and nearly choking on it because we thought that It’d be a brilliant idea to eat all of it in the span of a couple of minutes.

The drive to school was one that used two separate cars, I took mine and Stiles of course took the Jeep, somehow we’d managed to make our way to school with a good fifteen minutes to spare until classes started, which was a relief to me and an annoyance to Stiles who felt he could have had a few more minutes of sleep.

The door to the ford slammed shut, the creaking was once again a reminder that perhaps my car was on the way to giving up the ghost…although I really did hope it held out until the end of the school year when I hopefully would have enough money to buy a new one. I said goodbye to Stiles before scurrying off to my locker, once again spending a good few minutes opening it…I really need to work on my skill with combination locks, it’s getting ridiculous now.

Sorting through my books and folders, I started at the sudden appearance of one my ‘friends’ from class, “Hey!” She leant against the locker besides me, the nervous look she had originally had when I’d first met her had quickly melted away and she was now seemingly always relaxed. At least around those she got a long with…

“Hey, May, what’s up?” I closed my locker looking over at May. May was a quiet girl, red hair, the softest French accent, and utterly wonderful to spend time with. Once she got over her shyness around you she was merely a ball of softness, kindness and red hair. I rarely saw her around school, she was somewhat intimidated by the boys and by Lydia…and just about everyone. As was her nature, she got along rather well with the quiet boy that was Isaac, however, mostly because they were very similar in temperament. She was also fine with Dori. Dori had been quick to take to her, after all May was hard not to like and want to protect. She was delicate like that, but strong in her own way. May had a certain way about her and it was a shame that neither Dori nor I saw her frequently.

“I was just wondering why Theo is so happy today, like unusually happy…?” The question of course was a valid one, the few glimpses of Dori I'd seen walking to my locker had been ones that showed great grins and a lightness of step that was rather uncommon. But it was also incredibly predictable a reaction when you think about how you would react if someone you'd been pining after for months decided to go on a date with you.

“She’s got a date!” I probably sounded far too enthused when it wasn't even my own date, and May must have thought so as a little smile rested on her lips and she giggled at me. I couldn't help but be excited after all I'd been waiting for this to happen for a reasonably long time and now that it was happening it felt rather like a dream. I couldn't imagine how Dori herself was feeling! 

"With who?" I closed my locker and May walked next to me down the hall, clutching her own books to her chest, looking at her feet. May always seemed to make herself smaller around other people, it was a shame that she felt the need to in the first place.   
"Lydia, who else?" I waved to someone from my English class across the hall as I walked, it was odd to think that I'd been in Beacon Hills long enough to know a fair amount of people even if most of them were acquaintances at best. To think I’d settled in so quickly, and while I still get the occasional person come up to me just to ask me about England, for the most part I fit in like everyone else.

I stopped outside my classroom, May moved in front of me, we luckily weren't in anyone's way. It was too early for the majority of people to want to be in class...teenagers, man. "Really? Well...it’s about time!"

"I know! Well... I have to get to class, but...keep an eye and an ear out for the gossip, May" I had no doubt that while quiet May was someone who knew pretty much everything that was going on around school. Mostly because the majority of the school's population seemed to not notice her, almost as if she was walking around under Harry Potter's invisibility cloak.

"I will, don't worry, bye!" I watched her go for a few moments, glared at Jackass Whittemore across the hall, before disappearing into my classroom. 

My school day was rather quiet, the odd question from gossips about my sister and Lydia, a few minor arguments with Jackson, and a plan created with Allison. I had, rather rashly, decided that following Lydia and Dori on their date would be a wonderful idea. Naturally I couldn't do that all on my own and the only other person who was as 'passionate' about their hopefully growing relationship as I was was Allison...and she was just as willing to run about in the evening watching them as I was. The fake moustaches and fedoras were her idea, however, I merely found it funny enough to agree to wear them.

It's how I found myself wearing said fedora and moustache, which itched something awful by the way, with Allison besides me as we walked a distance behind Dori and Lydia, ducking behind trees and cars when one made to look behind them. It was rather fun...and ridiculous all at the same time, like we were in a comedy sketch playing two mysterious and dastardly private Investigators. The type of Investigators who only ever manage to solve cases due to sheer luck! My car had been left down the road far enough away from Lydia’s beetle, but near enough that we hadn't had to run from a few blocks over. Allison’s own, seeing as she insisted on bringing her own car to save me petrol, was parked a little way from mine. 

Eventually they walked into an art gallery, not the type of first date I'd expected, Dori holding the door open for Lydia like the perfect date she is. We waited outside behind a couple of shrubs. "We can't go in! They'll see us!" While Allison had an incredibly valid point I hadn't come this far wearing this stupid moustache that made me look like Poirot just to stop because they decided an art gallery was the perfect place for a first date. Don't even ask me what my sister was thinking...so long as it worked she could take Lydia to a strip club and I'd follow. Although a strip club sure would make an interesting place to have a date. You’d never get the glitter off…ugh…

"Only if we draw attention to ourselves..." I'd never seen Allison stare at me so hard as if I was completely out of my mind before...It was the kind of look I often gave Scott and Stiles, it wasn't that comforting to have directed at myself...but since when had a look ever stopped me (not including Lydia very intimidating glares)? 

"You're not serious...?"

"I'm dead serious, Allison. We've come this far! Would Sam and Frodo have stopped halfway to Mordor? Would Luke Skywalker have given up trying to destroy the Deathstar?!" I felt rather like Winston Churchill or the guy from brave heart just giving the best speech a teenager could ever give to convince their friend to continue spying on their other friend and step-sister.

"I'm going to pretend I understand what you're saying and just say that you're right...but you're going in first." I had a feeling that much like Scott, Allison had failed to watch Star Wars and it seemed Lord Of The Rings was included in in the gaping hole of pop culture knowledge in Beacon Hills. Did anyone, but Stiles watch TV and films in this town?

I had never been and never would be graceful, sneaky, or physically brilliant when it came to doing things...so my attempt to army roll to the door wasn't exactly an army roll and my opening of the door wasn't as quiet as would perhaps have been preferred. ..Nonetheless the couple were out of sight when Allison and I made our way into the Gallery and the only people who looked over were some of the curators who gave us odd looks before deciding we were harmless and that there was little point questioning either of us. 

We found them around a corner, the two of us peering around a wall watching them. I was rather glad that the gallery appeared to be empty even if some of the art was just plain horrific. It was obviously all local art, nothing from any artist I could recognise. It had become rather apparent as to why this particular venue had been chosen for the particular date, not only was it quiet which meant the two of them could talk but it also incorporated something that they both liked to a certain degree, art. 

Their conversation to start with was stilted and awkward, mostly due to Dori who obviously didn't want to mess this up but had lost any cool I'd known her to have. "You don't need to be so uncomfortable. I wouldn't be here looking at Mr Appleby's landscape painting if I didn't want to be." Despite the forced casualness of her voice, the redhead had her arms crossed defensively, almost as if she was uncomfortable herself. There was a surprising level of vulnerability on her face, and while I couldn't see Dori's I had no doubt it looked much the same with furrowed brows and a lip between teeth. It felt too private, like I shouldn't be listening and perhaps neither Allison nor I should have been, but I couldn't force myself to walk away and not listen. Perhaps a show of just how nosey I could be...One of my less positive traits of course.

I felt myself leaning further forward, Allison doing the same as we watched Dori take a deep breath, her shoulders slumping, "I know that. I just...I don't want to fuck this up, okay?" there was no doubt in my mind that they could make this work, that Dori could make it work, she cared so unbelievably much, to the point that I'd been jealous of just how much energy and time my sister put into Lydia on the odd occasion, not that I had any right to be of course. Nonetheless I wanted them to work, I wanted them to be happy...I also wanted to be aunt to some amazing kids, adopted or as the product of science it didn't matter.

"You're not going to. Now quit freaking out. Unless you want our first date to be second place to Jackson’s," Lydia teased. I could see the way Dori straightened up at that, a smirk at her lips. She never was able to resist a challenge. 

"Oh yeah? Where did he take you?"

"Fancy restaurant. He had flowers. It was pretty smooth." The idea of Jackson being smooth wasn’t far fetch if you saw the way he acted with certain girls, he was charismatic. That didn’t stop him being a dim-witted asshole, but he was still charismatic despite all his faults…no matter how much I hated that fact.

"Smooth? I can do smooth." I had to smother a snigger in my hand, Dori was about as smooth as an English country lane when she was around Lydia, which was a rather generous analogy if you’re asking me.

"Oh yeah?" Lydia challenged, a smirk teasing at the corners of her mouth. Now this was their sort of banter…it was increasingly less awkward and it felt less like I was intruding, which lowered my guilt a small amount.

As I watched I could almost see the resolve filling Dori, a deep breath, a squaring of her shoulders and I was sure by the tone of her voice that she attempted to put an easy smirk on her lips as the two of them moved to the next painting "I don't think I told you how lovely you look tonight? I mean, we're in a room full of art, and you're still the most beautiful thing I can see." I could hear Allison's smothered laughter, in fact I could feel her shaking with giggles from where we were huddled.

"I know" it was most certainly playful the way the words were spoken in response to the compliment and terribly cheesy line, but there was still an undercurrent of appreciation on a bashful level, I highly doubted Jackson gave Lydia compliments that weren't in some way sexual. In fact I doubt Jackson ever did anything that wasn't either angry and elitist or sexual...He was a perfect specimen for narcissism among other things. 

They talked idly for a few moments, chit chat that was about all sorts and things that I'd never heard them talk about before; their favourite places, favourite food, stories from growing up, stories from school, before it dissolved into comfortable silence as both Allison and I watched them move from painting to painting. 

Eventually Dori grabbed Lydia’s arm lightly to stop her walking to the next painting, running a hand through her hair as obviously struggling to find the words to tell Lydia, "You know... I wasn't kidding what I said earlier. You really are beautiful. But I want you to know that isn't the only reason I- I mean, that's not why I asked you on this date. I know we're not like official or anything, but just being on a date with you..." I couldn't breathe in a good way. Dori, well, she wasn't the type to let out her feelings if they made her vulnerable, and here she was putting her heart out on a silver platter and waiting to see if Lydia would destroy it or protect it. It was something that made me especially happy about knowing Lydia, because while she had a lot of power in her hands, so far all she'd done is bring Dori out from behind her 50ft tall walls and created a softer and happier version of my sister. It was kind of like how Scott and particularly Stiles help me to not be so scared all the time. It was nice to know she had someone that made positive change to her life, especially now she didn't have to deal with Jackson who wound her up as much as he did me.

"Who says we're not official?" I wasn't sure whether the question was supposed to be rhetorical or not, Allison and I shared a glance...It was one that made me realise that I might just be watching history unfold...watching a story happen, one that I'd tell at their wedding or at group get-togethers or even one that I'd turn into a fairy tale for children, 'the redhead and the English woman; a wizard's tale'.

"What?" It was perhaps comical how far forward Allison and I had leant, it was a surprise that we hadn't been seen or fallen to the floor in a heap. Watching everything play out was similar to watching a soap opera, except that I was there and that it was my step-sister who was a part of it.

Lydia sighed and rolled her eyes at just how oblivious Dori was being; perhaps she honestly wouldn't allow herself to hope, or perhaps she really was oblivious... "Theo, I know I'm still figuring a lot of this out, but I want you to be my girlfriend." You know that feeling you get watching your favourite television show when those two characters you love finally get together? Well that was the type of feeling magnified by 5.67 that I experienced upon hearing those words come from Lydia's mouth. Perhaps it wasn't as romantic as a smashing confessional speech, fireworks, and roses, but it was more than enough...because they like each other and as scared as I'm sure Lydia was considering she was still figuring her sexuality out, they were going to officially be dating. There was commitment and this sense of putting one’s self out on a limb that would always best roses and fireworks and any number of Shakespeare's sonnets.

"Really?"

"Uh, yeah." It was something of a struggle not whispering or yelling to Allison about what was right in front of us, but I managed it. Probably only because I was far too absorbed in the date I was spying on and because I had no doubt we'd have a rather large conversation about this was we were safely outside and away from Lydia and Dori. 

Watching your sister get the girl was something that couldn't really be put into words-not because it was some spectacularly unusual event but because it was far too happy to have words to describe it, it felt like anything I could say would fall short of what was happening in front of me. It was just awesome. Ridiculously, amazingly awesome.

"Okay...yeah, so I guess you're my girlfriend now and I'm your girlfriend..." The date from then on was a mishmash of Dori staring at Lydia, the two of them looking at the rest of the gallery while holding hands, and Allison and I having magnificent self-restraint. 

We didn't get caught, not when we followed them through the gallery and not when we left and walked back down the road toward our cars, it was a surprise that we hadn't been caught but one we were both really really glad about. 

"It happened!" This squealed out statement was followed by a good 3 minutes of jumping up and down, squealing, and gigging. It wasn't my proudest moment I must admit...but when you and your friend had been waiting for such a moment for quite literally months it's not too bad a reaction to have right?

"And to think it only took them three months...” Looking back on it I always figured it would take longer for Lydia and Dori to get together especially as until recently Lydia had been dating Jackson, a relationship that didn't seem like it would break apart anytime soon, additional to this there was all the worrying about Stiles and how this would affect him especially with his crush on Lydia...Which apparently had lost some of its strength. 

"You're right, it could have taken them years...god, can you imagine waiting for years for them to get together?" Allison asked me, to be honest I'm sure that had the two of them taken years to get together it would be incredibly painful for all watching and all involved. Watching that level of pining couldn't be fun and having to listen to Dori complain for even longer would most definitely give me a permanent headache.

"I'm sure we'll experience that with someone else at some point" I wasn't joking either, we were in high school. At some point someone's going to be crushing on another person and we'll be watching for years and years and years as nothing happens until one day were forced to shove them into a closet. Not just any closet either, an incredibly small closet.

"Like you and Stiles, perhaps?" The teasing wasn't uncommon, mostly I placed it down to the fact that I was female and that Stiles was a guy and people had difficulty understanding that I could be friends with someone of the opposite gender without wanting to jump their bones so to speak. I mean sure I loved Stiles in a way, but it was in a platonic way, it wasn't as if I was having sex dreams about my best friend or anything of the sort...

"You're worse than Dori" I sighed, shaking my head, before deciding we couldn't keep talking out in the cold and the dark all night, "We should probably go home..." it was getting late out and by that I mean really really late, like witching hour late. It wasn't as if I'd get in much trouble at home, while mum and I were now talking again she seemed to be tiptoeing around me as if she was worried about something which meant that she wasn't being particularly strict with me...It was somewhat like having two Normans at the house. It was weird and I wasn't especially fond of it, but I dealt with it to because at least we weren't fighting anymore. 

"I definitely should, dad might just lock me in the house if I'm not back soon." I leant against my car as Allison and I talked, Allison’s parents hadn't got any less terrifying her mother was especially fearsome, but after the car incident with her dad and my awareness of all the guns he owns he was incredibly terrifying in his own right. Who just keeps a million guns in their house, job or not?! It makes you wonder what Allison can do if she was brought up around a guy who obviously knows his way around guns and a mother who had an amazing strength of character and poker face...It also made her more surprising what with her being completely different to her parents, where they were harsh she was soft. 

"Y'know your dad still absolutely terrifies me..." I faked a shiver of fear, even making a poor imitation of the noise one might make while absolutely stone cold terrified of her friend's father...Although I'd rather her father over her mother, that women could kill me with a simple withering glare or even just a passing glance.

"He's harmless!" Allison giggled at me, she always found it funny that I was so scared of her family, which was rather apparent in the way that she laughed at my words. I think her father knew I was scared of him though...He had a habit of miraculously appearing behind me and making me jump out of my skin.

"Keep telling yourself that!"

"Whatever, have a good night, Char!" I said my goodbyes with a wave, before watching Allison walk away and back to her car shaking my head at her before standing to my feet ready to get myself home as well. It was nice to have an evening with Allison of sorts, I hadn't had any real time with just Allison for a while. It was always easy as anything, spending time with Allison that is, she was simply put a very agreeable person and naturally easy to fall into a routine with...and after she left me I rather missed her presence both because it was fun spending with her and because it was rather scary without her to keep me company.

Beacon Hills at night was...eerie to say the least...The only thing that provided light of any sort were the street lamps that towered over head, and it was always for too quiet, not a car other than Allison's departing one could be heard, the rustling of leaves was far too prominent louder than it ever should be, and it almost felt like I was hearing things. The shadows of footsteps that weren't there, the whispering on the wind. I'd become far too accustomed to that fear I felt at being outside and alone in in the dark. It was a feeling I felt far too often it seemed like. But then again I was naturally skittish so was it really that surprising or unnatural that I'd be on edge outside in in a town where people kept dying and getting attacked at night? Probably not.

You know that feeling like your being watched? The one that makes you start imagining things out of pure paranoia? Well that was how I was feeling in that instant. Red. Red was the colour I saw in my peripheral vision and red was the colour that had me whirling around only to see nothing but the darkness that always encompassed trees and shrubs at night. I took an unsteady breath, staring off into the spot that I thought I'd seen those red eyes again...

 

"Miss Kite, shouldn't you be at home right now?" I jumped, letting out a rather undignified squeak and I turned around to the sudden voice right behind me. I held a hand to my heart, it was beating so rapidly in my chest that I was terrified it might just jump right out like I was in the Temple of Doom.

I was greeted by the face of Dr. Smith, my psychiatrist. His face was partially obscured by the shadows that had been cast thanks to the lack of light, and he appeared to loom over me in the dark like some sort of immovable pillar. Dr. Smith's face wasn't the type of face that you wanted to run into in the dark, not because of the burn scars which marred one half of his face and head, but because as a person he had a rather terrifying way of being, of holding himself, and was intimidating enough in the day time let alone the night time. It wasn't that his appearance was one of a frightful man, but rather that of an ordinary man who'd fallen to misfortune, what made me so cautious around him was the look in his eyes, the smarmy nature of his words, and his innate ability to find the most sensitive topics and to push and push and push until the life was sucked out of you and you felt as tired as the dead...that being said I wasn't scared of him hurting me...there was something about Dr. Smith that was familiar like looking into a mirror and while he might taunt me and emotionally attack me...I had no feeling that he'd physically cause me any harm...but maybe that was naive folly in itself. To trust a man you hardly knew...but then again he was my psychiatrist surely I should be able to trust him?

I lowered the hand clutching at my heart, shifting backwards and as far enough away as I could without it being so entirely obvious that I was uncomfortable with the way in which he invade my personal space and loomed over me like I was in a bad psycho-thriller movie.

"Dr. Smith...I was just going home actually...it’s getting late and..." The sharp tooth grin sent my way said a lot of things and most of all it said that he knew I was scared of him and that was perhaps worst of all because this man had so much knowledge about me, about my past, about my feelings, about who I was and now he knew that he scared me and he suddenly had even more power than before. He could do so many things to me; to dismantle me, to test my strength and I was reminded of why Dori didn't like telling people personal information about herself. I was reminded that with every trusting piece of myself that I gave away, someone had the ability to crush it in the palm of their hand until it was mere dust and ruin.

"Don't let me stop you, after all it’s not safe to be out at night alone...especially now..." he appeared amicable, stepping aside to allow me to unlock my car and open the door, before stopping me just as I moved to enter it, "Oh and Charlotte? Call me Peter." And with that I reminded myself that he was just a man, he was just like me or anyone, and that I was just being paranoid...that surely a man called Peter Smith couldn't be that bad.... 

Nonetheless I swiftly got into my car locking it once I was in before starting it quickly and leaving my psychiatrist on that pavement waving with that awful smile on his face. The drive home had me jumping at shadows quite literally and once or twice I pulled over so that I could calm down. Every shadow of a street lamp or glint off a car or leaf was enough to make me jump. Not that anything untoward happens, had I not been so paranoid the drive home would have been completely unremarkable with not even a bad driver on the road for me to call a maniac. But that didn't stop the feeling of fear that run deep in me, fear that I told myself was simply in my head and not caused by anything rational at all. Not even once until I got home and into my house and leant heavily against the front door did I stop feeling like I was being watched. And while I told myself I wasn't being watched, part of me had no doubt that the eyes I felt on my back weren't purely figments of my imagination.


	23. Chapter 23

Saturday was a day I spent lying in my bed, despite the yelling from my mother to get out of my bed and that it was too late in the day for me to just lie there. Dori found me with my head shoved underneath my many pillows, my duvet halfway to the floor, barely covering me, and me mumbling to myself ( _supposedly_ about old stripper grannies and glitter, but I’m still not sure if she was actually making that up). I hadn’t been happy to be woken, but she let me lie there and watch her as she moved to sit beside me on my bed with her legs crossed, so I couldn’t complain too much. 

A very, very, very long silence took over us as I waited for her to say something rather than just sit there grinning like a fool. Apparently it was ridiculous for my sleep addled brain to think that she’d actually speak first. It felt more like she was waiting for me to ask why she was so happy at 1 pm on Saturday, like a little kid waiting for their parent to ask why they were standing there and what they wanted. 

“Alright, why are staring at me with that ridiculous grin? What is it? Did you kill Jackson? Have we been given a lifetime supply of milkshakes? Or is it just that you love my glorious presence?” I shoved myself further up my bed, sitting up, situating my glasses where they should be on my face rather than just sat on a bedside table. 

“I had my date with Lydia last night” I had to supress a big smile at the thought that I knew everything about her date with Lydia, that I had been there and that she didn’t even know. It gave me an odd sense of satisfaction at knowing I’d pulled off possibly the greatest bit of espionage in the whole of history, or at least in the history of our family. One day she’d know, one day I’d tell her, I’d tell her that I saw her acting so nervous, that I didn’t need telling about the date, that I knew it from my own memory…but I’d wait until she wouldn’t kill me for spying on her first. 

“Yeah, I know…there something you want to tell me?” 

“She’s perfect.” The lovesick sigh was one that moved through Dori’s whole body, it was actually unnerving to see her in such a state…sure, she’d said those words before, but never with such utter admiration behind them. It reminded that she was more vulnerable then she’d ever been when it came to Lydia. Lydia could be my sister’s absolute downfall and I’m sure Dori would smile as Lydia broke her apart and would thank her for stepping over her heart. And while that terrified the shit out of me, Dori needed this vulnerability. She needed that risk, she needed to learn to trust people outside of family.

“Mmm, yeah, you’ve also said that before, anything new? Does she furrow her brow when she concentrates? Does she give you a look when you say something stupid?” Teasing Dori was not something that I got to do often, more often than not she was the one teasing _me,_ but since moving so many things had changed and this was one of them. 

“Does Stiles murmur in his sleep? Does he tap a beat when he’s nervous?”

“…Shut up.” And despite the fact I could now tease her I wasn’t very good at it because she always threw something right back at me…and I wasn’t very good at responding to that. I wasn’t very good at retaliating when it came to something like that…or anything really. I wasn’t very good at retaliating; maybe that’s why Jackson found it so enjoyable to single me out? I just couldn’t help being flustered by it, especially when I’d only just woken up. 

“So, Lydia is planning a movie night for tomorrow, round her house. I convinced her to let Scott and Stiles come.” 

“Really? How did you do that?” The smirk that flittered over Dori’s lips was enough to have me retracting my previous statement completely, “Actually on second thought I don’t want to know.” _Ugh…_ one thing I really didn’t want to know about was Dori’s persuasion methods with her girlfriend. 

“Just, thanks…I know she’s not _fond_ of them, but I think maybe she would be if she got to know them.” If Lydia liked me then she surely could like Scott and Stiles…they were, after all, rather like me in some ways. I just think that she has played the part of Queen Bee so long that it controls everything about her; who she befriends, who she’s seen in public with, what she does, what she likes. It’s a shame because the real Lydia-the smart, friendly girl seen only in glimpses- is wonderful. It’s getting past the facade she’s so carefully constructed that’s so impossibly hard at times. 

“They’re your friends, they’re my… well, I don’t hate them. Besides, I couldn’t leave them out without making you cry.” 

“I wouldn’t cry…I’d just sniffle…a little” I let out a light laugh, watching Dori shake her head at me as if I was completely and ridiculously mad. But she loved me anyway, so she’d deal with it nonetheless. 

“Uh huh?”

I shoved her shoulder, “Shut up, Dori, and get out. I have sleeping to do!” 

I did go to sleep after she left-in fact, I wasted the whole day away, despite the family protests and the ridiculous banging on my door in an attempt to stop me going back to sleep. I considered sleep a rather important part of my life, particularly when school took so much of my energy away, especially listening to Mr Harris drone on and on and make snarky comment after snarky comment. 

But that didn’t mean I couldn’t wake up when I needed to, in fact I was up so early the next day that I was more than ready for Lydia’s movie night. The boys had agreed to come, actually they’d seemed downright eager, although Stiles less so than he perhaps would have been back in September when he was still eager to win Lydia’s love and ride off into the sunset. Nonetheless, I was excited. Excited to spend my day with so many people, to watch movies, to no doubt eat my weight in food, and to feel content with the way life was going. 

I was in fact in such a good mood that I had actually bothered spending what was probably a normal amount of time by Lydia standards on my appearance in the morning rather than my usual 15 minutes. I took my time with my make-up, and picked a dress from the many that Lydia had placed in my wardrobe, but looking in the mirror I didn’t see a spectacular difference. I wasn’t sure if I found the lack of magical transformation disappointing or relieving. 

There was this odd thrill in my stomach at the idea of spending time with a large group of friends, a feeling that had been neglected over the past few months in favour of quiet nights on my own or small little group get together, just Stiles and I or Scott sat in someone's room over a chilled evening. Big group events had been far less common, especially as at the start of the year Dori's group of friends and my own seemed near incompatible. 

I spent most of that morning trying not to worry about...well about everything. About everyone getting together, about the Parent-Teacher conference, about Derek Hale and all the rumours circulating around town. Silence and alone time was good for making you think and sometimes thinking is the worst thing you can do...especially in Beacon Hills. 

"We going?"

I looked up from where I was scribbling notes down on a piece of paper, Dori was stood in the doorway her shoulder lent up against the dark wood. I out down the pen and looked the time, apparently I'd done an amazing job of wasting away my day. I stood up, stretching my arms up in some weak attempt to get rid of the crick in my shoulder that had seemingly settled there over the last few hours. 

"Yeah, just let me grab my keys, alright?" 

There was still something peaceful about driving through town. Maybe it was the wide roads, maybe it was the lack of cars on the road, or maybe it was the way it always felt like you were going to have the easiest drive of your life. The reality of course is always something a little different and after getting stuck behind a little old lady who was worryingly bad at driving I had never been more ready to get my movie night on. 

It had me practically leaving Dori alone as I ran up to the door, waiting for Lydia to answer it. Dori grumbling behind me about how I never seemed to run at important times and that I really needed to rethink my priorities.

"Hey!" Allison was in fact the one to open the door and dragged the two of us in, and I was once again reminded just how large Lydia’s house was. It looked so much smaller when hundreds of teenagers were pushed together tightly at her party at the start of the year and now it was practically empty you could almost feel the absolute sheer size without having your eyes open. 

Lydia's living room was one that even with 2 sofas no doubt wouldn't be able to seat us all and I already decided to resigned myself to sitting on the floor. I had no doubt the two couples would want to sit together somewhere comfortable, it was naturally Lydia's right as the hostess to sit on a sofa as well.

Hellos were exchanged and it was made very apparently by Lydia that we were the last ones to arrive and that everyone had been waiting on us...Little conversations were happening between various different people while Lydia arranged everything and decided on movie choices and food. Allison was talking to Dori and Danny about some new television show that she'd started watching recently, something to do with some girl getting murdered and serial killers...not exactly something I'd come to expect from Allison.

I had settled myself on one of the sofas, knowing it would probably be the only time I got to sit on it that night. Scott and Stiles had been standing off to the side talking, "Oh, hey! I almost forgot, Brielle was asking about you the other day, like she does every time she phones me." My attention was drawn almost naturally to Scott and Stiles' conversation, and I started regret listening in as Scott began to talk. The little weird feeling at the mention of this Brielle was not something I was comfortable with. I was completely certain that it wasn't normal to feel your stomach drop at the mention of another girl asking about your friend, right? 

"Your little cousin...again?" Surely there wasn't anything going on right? I mean I totally would have heard if Stiles was interested in this girl right? Not that I'm bothered by it, I mean he's my friend, he's allowed to date who he wants it's none of my business...why would I possibly be bothered by the idea of Stiles with a nice girl, see? I'm not bothered. Totally the least bothered person here. 

"She's not that little any more, if she was she wouldn’t be so in love with you, and _yeah, again_ " 

"At least someone is right? Although she's not exactly the girl I'd want to fall obsessively and hopelessly in love with me...no offence." I didn't stay to listen to any more, the feeling in my chest becoming increasingly hard to ignore. I missed the long look sent my way by Stiles as I walked from the room to the kitchen and I missed the way Danny followed after me.

I placed my hands out on the kitchen counter, leaning forward and letting out an irritated and heavy sigh, my eyes closed, willing whatever this feeling was to go away and rot in a pit somewhere. The counter was cold against my hands and I was incredibly grateful for the empty room and the ability to think...or not think as it may be. 

"You're jealous." 

I jumped a hand coming to clutch over my heart, willing the frantic beating to still and looking over my shoulder at whoever decided to terrify me, "Danny! Don't do that!" the tall boy was standing there with his arms crossed, his expression pretty much blank. Everything about this made me uncomfortable, and I really hoped he’d drop the subject and let me be…but this was Danny and he wasn’t so good at letting things go. 

"You're jealous of that girl." Jealous…now that was a word and a half, a lot of connotations, a lot of images that I just didn’t like the thought of. I wasn’t jealous because I had nothing to be jealous about, it wasn’t as if I owned Stiles or had some claim on him and it wasn’t as if someone was taking him away from me.

"Why would I be jealous? There's nothing to be jealous about and absolutely no reason for me to be jealous even if there was something going in which there is not." I wasn’t sure why the idea of Brielle and Stiles being an ‘item’ upset me so much, but I knew it wasn’t jealously…I hoped it wasn’t jealously. I hated the thought that it might be as much as I hated the disbelief that lifted Danny’s eyebrow, and pursed his lips. 

 

"I'm not jealous."   
"You're in denial. You and Stiles are both in denial about what _this_ is." Danny gestured between me and the door that led to the living room. 

"There is no _this_!" I repeated the gesture, hissing between my teeth. There wasn’t anything going on. Stiles was my _best friend_. There wasn’t anything going on, we weren’t dating, we weren’t in any form of romantic relationship and it wasn’t as if he’d be interested in that anyway, right? I mean I wasn’t the best catch in all of California and that was such a large cliché falling for you best friend…no he didn’t like me, I didn’t like him, we were just friends and that’s how it would stay. 

"Keep telling yourself that, midget, you might believe it but I don't.” I watched Danny leave, heaving a sigh before grabbing a drink off the side knowing I’d need an excuse for why I spent several minutes in the kitchen. All this emotion stuff was really draining, and confusing. So confusing I’m pretty sure only Gandalf would be able to make sense of it. 

Walking back into the living room, I could tell Lydia was pretty much ready for us all to settle down, watch some movies, eat some food, and generally do what we were supposed to do on a movie night. Some people were already sat down, others stood around waiting, most likely for me. 

“Where were you?” Dori turned her eyes on me from where she was curled up on one of the sofas, I simply lifted my glass in response, shifting my eyes away from Danny who was giving me _that_ look. I pretty much decided to blank the talk we’d had from my memory, knowing that it would probably only cause me problems if I thought it over and twisted and turned it in my head like a rubix cube. 

"So, who’s sitting on the floor?" You could tell that Allison really didn’t want to sit on the floor, mostly because how romantic was it to sit on the floor with your kind of/pretty much boyfriend? Not very…but also because let’s face it the floor is about 10 times less comfortable than the sofa and everyone knows that you don’t want to be sat on the floor. Danny likewise was giving me a look that said he wasn’t sitting on the floor for love nor money nor any form of bribery and that he might very well kill me if I didn’t let him share a sofa with Scott and Allison.

"Stiles and I will." I volunteered, sitting myself down in front of Danny who’d now taken a seat along with Scott and Allison. Pulling my knees up to my chest. 

"Don't volunteer us!" Despite his obvious reluctance, Stiles still sat down with little resistance or fight which was surprising, but really I don’t think he really cared where he sat.

"Oops, too late, babe" I tensed at my own words, _shit…you’re not supposed to call your best friend babe…oh god…_ and chose to pretend I hadn’t noticed what I’d said. Although I had a feeling that an embarrassed blush making its way up my neck said enough about that… _maybe Danny’s right…?_ No, no he wasn’t. He was completely and utterly wrong, I mean people call their friends things like that all the time, right? It’s just a friendly term, nothing weird or suspicious about it at all. 

_“Honey,_ I hate you.” Stiles teased me and I fell against him with a defeated, there was no point pretending I hadn’t said it…the more I tried to avoid it the worse the teasing would be…at least if I just went along and acknowledged it, it wouldn’t be so bad and I could go on with my life forgetting the ridiculous use of pet names that should only really be used for your partner and a friend of a million years and not your best friend who you’ve only known a few months of the opposite gender, who you’re grudgingly attracted to, but refuse to tell anyone about that. 

It turned out that while I was in the kitchen ‘getting a drink’, they’d already decided on a movie, that being Captain America mostly because we could all appreciate Chris Evans’ butt and pretty much his whole body which was spectacular, there was also Hayley Atwell to stare adoringly at as well. 

The movie was one of those things that apparently brought us all together in silent harmony, finding ourselves pretty much enraptured in the movie and me wondering if I could totally jump into it because that would be pretty fun, but also dangerous, but also fun. It wasn’t unusual for me to cuddle with Stiles, in fact I had no qualms about cuddling with most people I knew, but everything was awkward and I had a feeling he knew that I was a little tense and that my cuddling wasn’t as easy going as normal…but it got better. It was one of those things that the more I sat there against his side, the less awkward it became, because I stopped worrying about it and just started focusing on the movie and not the way he breathed or how his fingers still twitched like they always did. And it became less of an awkward cuddle, to the usual ‘this is really nice and comfortable and I’m going to lean all over you like a cat’ type deal instead. But Danny didn’t seem to appreciate it or appreciate Allison and Scott by his side or the way Dori and Lydia weren’t actually watching the movie but giggling quietly to each other. Bless him, we really should have invited an even number of people…

"I can't believe I’m surrounded by couples." The grumbling came from behind me and obviously from Danny whose long legs were actually a rather annoying feature when they were directly behind you and his knees were nearly whacking you in the back of the head. I turned around from where I had been watching the movie to look at him, "It's not just you y'know? Me and Stiles are stuck watching them be mushy too.” I gestured to the little kisses Dori was placing on Lydia’s nose in the most odd, almost vomit inducing gesture I’d ever seen, it was like she’d been replaced by an evil clone, an evil clone who planned to take over the world and steal Lydia while she was at it…

"You two are one of the couples."

I faked a gasp and turned towards Stiles, who'd been listening the whole time, "How could you not tell me we're madly in love this whole time?" I held a hand to my chest, as if I was absolutely shocked and horrified by his ‘betrayal’, knowing full well that Stiles never missed a chance to a) role play something b) be silly and c) make fun of someone. 

"Why didn't _you_ tell _me_? We've obviously been making out in locker rooms this whole time and we didn't even know!" 

"Oh, the horror! The shame! The agony!” I turned from Stiles back to Danny, who was giving me a look that wasn’t even mildly amused…which was fun…because y’know being glared at was the highlight of my day, “Are we married? Danny, are we a married couple? An annoying couple? An imaginary couple that you thought up out of thin air?" 

“Danny, is this your way of saying you want us to get married?” 

"I hate you both." I shared a glance with Stiles, Danny was fun to wind up and I never had truly realised why Stiles did it so much, but he was just so apathetic that when he did get annoyed he almost shut down, like a teacher who was dealing with far too much and just decided to give up in the middle of class and go to sleep because obviously they weren’t getting anywhere this time. 

"Shhh!" The three of us shut up and Scott’s glare, and turned back to the movie which had progressed significantly since we’d gotten distracted…somehow.

Part of me, however, started wondering off into what it would be like to date Stiles…would I want to date Stiles? (Not that I liked him, this was obviously all a completely hypothetical internal debate that had no basis in real life.) Would it be fun? Would it be a good relationship? Surely it wouldn’t be so different from being best friends, except with more hand holding, maybe some kissing. It doesn’t sound so bad, put like that. Hypothetically, of course.

The rest of the night went something like this: Popcorn got thrown around to the point at which Lydia was probably going to kill us, her dog, Prada, came to sit in my lap because dogs and animals love me and I felt so honoured that I nearly cried, and we all went through a couple of movies before deciding to call it a night and make our ways back to our own houses. But not without helping Lydia clean up first knowing we’d never be invited back into her sacred wonderful home again if we just left her to clean up the mess on her own. Which is how I found myself leaning against my car watching Dori say goodbye to Lydia.

By saying goodbye I of course mean that they were making out quite heavily on Lydia’s front door step, Stiles and Scott standing behind them awkwardly wanting to leave, but being blocked from doing so. It was quite the amusing picture-they both, much like me, look on in horror at the very vicious display of affection that could possibly be compared to a lion at dinner time…or wolves, a whole pack of them…

“Dori, c’mon! We’ve gotta go! Beep Beep! Broom Broom!” With an incredibly reluctant final kiss Dori pulled away from the redhead and hit me on the shoulder muttering something about cockblocking and how I never let her have any fun, all before getting into my car. 

The ride home was incredibly silent, mostly because Dori looked like she was about to fall asleep at any moment and I didn’t have anything particular to say. We’d exhausted our quota of social activity during that evening and unless I decided to pluck something out of thin air that wasn’t really anything to say any more…except maybe to congratulate her on her rather terrifying display of affection before we left Lydia’s house. Although as gross as it was, it was nice to see her happy even if I might have nightmares for the next 500 years of my life. 

Our parents were sitting in the living room when we finally got home, watching some sort of late night television show that was probably absolutely ridiculous, but that they were watching nonetheless. We mumbled are hellos and goodnights to mum and Norman as we walked past them and up the stairs in an attempt to find our beds and collapse into them because lord knows we were pretty tired…

That being said the moment I fell into my bed, my brain wouldn’t stop working and I was suddenly no longer tired but rather incredibly awake. The type of whirling you get in your brain where you know you want to sleep, but you can’t and you toss and turn and try to ignore the jumble of thoughts that pop into your head. Trying to ignore what Danny said, what I said, what Stiles said, what Dori has said so many times before and trying to deny all the implications that it all has and how it’s all pointing in one direction that I really don’t want to go…and it’s confusing and absolutely bewildering because normally this sort of thing wouldn’t even cross my mind and I can’t imagine dating Stiles and yet I can and it’s just… _weird._ So incredibly weird that when I do fall asleep I hope that my dreams are of something a little more normal and a whole lot different, but they’re not.

My dreams are a whirlwind of what it’d be like to date my best friend, and it’s the least restful sleep I’ve had in a while. It isn’t what I wanted to dream about, and yet I did, and it wasn’t anything that made sense, and yet it did, and I decided to do the easy thing, the simple thing that I’d been doing for so long. Deny it. Deny that anything in relation to dating Stiles made sense, deny that the thought of holding his hand in a romantic way was anything but weird. Because this was my best friend and I couldn’t feel like that. Ever. I refused to feel like that.


	24. Chapter 24

“Have you seen Scott?” I stood in the corridor, leaning against the locker next to Stiles’. It was odd to only have seen one of the troublesome duo-usually, where I could find one, I could find the other, which made finding my friends about 10 times easier in the long run. But it was even more unusual since the Parent-Teacher Conference was tonight, which Scott definitely needed to go to…his grades had been averaging at a C and sometimes lower. I figured he was just juggling too many things at once, between the fact he was now on the Lacrosse team properly and not just sitting on the bench, and the fact he had a new girlfriend and he just…he seemed stressed a lot of the time and there was probably more going on than even I realised. Heck, knowing Scott and Stiles there was probably a lot going on that they just weren’t telling me about. 

“No, he’s not answering his phone either.” Stiles’ locker slammed shut, and he leant on it next to me. He looked worried, which was fair enough when our friend was missing. But he also looked peeved, probably also because our friend was missing. 

“You think he’s with Allison? I mean it’s her birthday today…” I, along with Dori and Lydia, had placed the present we’d gotten her ages ago, a jacket that cost more than my life savings, in her locker. Apparently Lydia knew pretty much everyone’s locker combinations which was absolutely terrifying, she could very well be the best school thief of all time and no one would ever suspect Lydia Martin of stealing from her fellow students! Having not seen Allison at all and then of course not seeing Scott, it would make sense if they were off somewhere together…although Scott really shouldn’t be skiving school if he was. As I said before, that boy wasn’t doing so well on the education front at the moment, it was like a weird twist on Forest Gump, he was smart he just didn’t seem to be applying himself properly…and now I sound like his mother. 

“Knowing Scott? Probably. He does stuff he really shouldn’t when it comes to Allison.” Stiles sounded grumpy, but it wasn’t so much a case of him disliking Scott’s relationship with Allison. Much like me Stiles was actually really happy for them. They worked well together, they both really liked each other, and they were both nice people…but Scott was like a love sick puppy who’d do pretty much anything for Allison, which probably would include life threatening things like spending an evening in her household full of people with a trillion guns that could shoot and kill him. Also having dinner with her dad who ran him over…Scott just had no sense of self-preservation when it came to Allison Argent.

“Can’t really blame him though, he’s in love, Stiles.” I didn’t usually like using the term love, it was a strong word, especially at our age…but if there was ever someone who was in love it was Scott McCall. I had no doubt about that, he looked at Allison as if she hung the stars in the sky and made the sun rise in the morning and set in the evening. It was as sweet as it was sickly, and I honestly hoped that that love wasn’t something that would get the both of them hurt or in trouble…but we were teenagers and it always seemed like our sort of love never really worked out. Or maybe I was just being morbid and negative due to the impending parent-teacher conference where I’m sure Mr. Harris would have some less than complimentary things to say about me. He always did. I swear that man was Satan’s little helper, I’m seriously considering calling a priest to exorcise him. Some holy water and a holy book should get rid of him lickity split. 

“Yeah, well he needs to use his head sometimes rather than his heart. Anyway I’m going to class, I’ll see you later maybe?” Says the guy who got himself hurt for years because of his feelings for Lydia Martin…although luckily for both Stiles and Dori his feelings had waned away to some sort of friendship. It meant neither of them were seemingly trying to fight over Lydia anymore, which with Dori and Lydia’s new found blossoming relationship was probably a good thing. 

“Maybe.” I watched Stiles go, before looking at the clock in the hallway. I didn’t actually have a class yet, it was my free period and quite honestly studying was the last thing I wanted to do. So instead I shrugged my bag over my shoulder and decided to walk out to the bleachers and maybe watch some people get hurt during gym or just watch Coach Finstock yell at some poor kid about how his dead grandmother ran faster. 

What I found instead was myself being dragged underneath the bleachers by the last person I ever expected to run into; Derek Hale. Also known as previous murder suspect and incredibly creepy man who lived out in the woods even if I’d established that he wasn’t trying to kill any one. Either way he was still incredibly creepy.

“What the bloody hell?” You haven’t truly been scared until someone drags you forcibly underneath a set of school bleachers without even talking to you first. Honestly, people needed to stop. I had a weak heart, I’d fall down dead like a character from Carry On Screaming soon. I couldn’t even watch horror movies properly, and people just wanted to scare me now. I swear. 

“You need to be careful.” I shrugged my arm out of his hand…despite feeling incredibly small compared to him, Derek Hale did not make me feel scared as such, but rather quite agitated and unusually confrontational. Nonetheless, I wasn’t fond of all the ominous talk. I put my bag on the ground besides me, and glared at the older man. He might not have been a murderer, but who’s to say he wasn’t involved in some other nefarious plot that I didn’t know about like world domination or kidnapping or even worse!

“Careful? No, I was planning on acting totally reckless, considering twenty odd year old men are dragging me under bleachers and people are dying in my town!” Honestly, did he think I was stupid? Not that long ago my own sister was attacked for god’s sake by what we think might have been an animal but could have been anything! Meanwhile, I was being followed by creepy eyes and every five minutes another body was found, so of course I needed be careful. I was trying to be careful, but there’s only so much I could do to be careful. It’s not easy to avoid whatever’s killing people when you don’t even know what’s doing it in the first place, even more so when everyone seems to be hiding things from you, seemingly important things as well. In short, Derek Hale needed to get the stick out of his arse because he wasn’t the only one who’d come to that conclusion.

“I’m trying to help! I’m trying to keep you, your friends, and this town safe!” Derek Hale didn’t yell, but apparently he did raise his voice like a drill sergeant. Whether or not he was actually trying to help remained to be seen, he hadn’t given me much in the way of reasons to trust him…or any real proof that he’d been trying to keep me or anyone else safe; I certainly hadn’t seen him swoop in at any point to save someone. But then I wasn’t the one who seemingly spent all my time with him. No, Stiles and Scott…there was something there that they weren’t telling me…did they really take him to the hospital that day I spent with Lydia and Dori? Or were they somewhere else, doing something else…something most likely dangerous if that was the case. Did Stiles lie to me? Have the two of them been lying to me? Or just omitting things instead? I wasn’t sure which was worse: outright lying, or purposefully leaving out details instead. 

“And Scott and Stiles are involved, right?” He didn’t even need to say anything, the awkward look was enough to tell me that yes they were involved and probably heavily so. They were always bloody involved. “Right of course they are…which means there’s a lot of things that you all aren’t telling me.” I paced back and forth under the bleachers. It wasn’t just people leaving me out of simple, unimportant things…this was my friends medalling in quite possibly dangerous affairs where people had gotten killed and then not telling me about. They could…anything could happen to Scott and Stiles, anything. They could die or get hurt and they’d probably still avoid telling me that they’d been investigating murders behind my back and most likely with Derek Hale who’d they’d previous gotten arrested on apparently false charges! I felt like one massive ball of stress, wound up and wound up, tighter and tighter…and one of these days I was probably going to snap and yell at someone about how people needed to bloody communicate with me. 

“There’s a lot you wouldn’t understand.” He crossed his arms heavily across his chest and looked down at me. I hated when people did that. 

I scoffed, “So people are dying and I just have to hope that not knowing what the hell is going on will keep me safe?” Ignorance is bliss until the day something bad happens someone ends up a bloody mess on the ground. Until people I know are soaked in grief because I didn’t know and I couldn’t do anything about it…about the god damn bullshit that’s going on. Not that I was some miraculous person who could probably do anything if I did know…but it’d feel a bit better if I was clued in on what was going on. 

“People are trying to keep you safe. I’ve been keeping an eye on you, so have your friends. Haven’t you noticed them being overly protective lately?” Of course I had. But who was I to guess that that meant they thought I might end up being the next victim in a series of killings in Beacon Hills? Maybe I was naïve…maybe he was right to assume I wouldn’t understand, maybe I was just thinking about this all too simply even when it was quite obviously not simple at all. I felt like Bucky Barnes completely and utterly confused at every turn, my catch phrase should be _‘???’_.

The boys had always been hyper vigilant and after my little episode and after everything with Ben and the struggles I’ve had so far it didn’t seem completely daft that they would become a bit more protective then they previously had been.

“Well, yeah, but I figured that was-wait, you’ve been watching me?!” It probably sounded creepier than it was…but it was still pretty creepy. But then if Derek really was trying to help then maybe he was the type of person I needed to have watching out for me at the end of the day. Maybe having someone keep an eye on me, someone who knew what was going on, was a good thing? If a creepy thing.

“You’re vulnerable…and I need Scott to trust me.” So there was an ulterior motive…Scott’s trust. But why did he need Scott to trust him in the first place? None of this made any sense all, the secrets, the working together…What use would Derek Hale have for Scott McCall? Why was any of this even going on? It was like I was spiralling into a perpetual state of confusion and irritation. 

“And what about me trusting you? Because I don’t know if I do or not.” 

“Have I ever given you a real reason not to?” Well, there was the time you lied about being Scott’s friend only to take Allison home where I thought you might actually kill her…which you didn’t, but you still lied which is…what everyone seems to be inching towards doing lately. Then there was a fact that half of the dead body of a girl was found buried by your house…and yet I still trusted Derek Hale more than my bloody psychiatrist…who’d probably psychoanalyse this whole conversation and tell me that I had some deep seated trust issues. 

“I suppose not…but you haven’t given me a reason to trust you either. Last thing I knew of you, Scott and Stiles thought you were the one murdering people.” I didn’t feel like I had enough information to make any decisions on this, I didn’t know Derek Hale, but I also was pretty certain that he wasn’t killing people…which led to the question of who the hell was…which led to the question of whether or not I knew what or who was killing people…and whether or not I was naïve in thinking I and my friends were fairly safe. We couldn’t hide behind law enforcement and brick houses for long, there were always going to be times when we were vulnerable. Easy to reach. Easy to hurt. Heck a simple bus driver had been killed! A bus driver!

“Trust me or don’t. Either way I’m not the bad guy.”

“So there is a bad guy? A person? Fuck…” I turned my back to the older man, if it was a person then…then was I imagining those red eyes? The alternatives weren’t much better either, maybe Derek knew? Surely if he knew so much he might know about those eyes that had been haunting me for weeks…that my therapist took great joy in watching me squirm over. Why was I still seeing Dr. Smith actually? He was an asshole. 

“Dere-” I turned back around, only to see the empty underside of the bleachers. “And you’re gone. Bloody hell.” Derek Hale and everyone else in this town and their secrets were going to kill me. I knew it. This town was going to be the death of me. My tombstone would read _‘killed by the town of Beacon ‘We really like hiding things’ hills’._

The rest of that school day I could barely concentrate. I kept trying to put it all out of my mind, but how does one forget that their friends are leaving them out of important things, that there’s a killer on the loose, and that their friends are directly involved with that. It was a lot to take in and a lot to turn over in my mind and I just didn’t have all the information to make it work either. There were massive gaps in my knowledge, like gaps in dinosaur DNA, gaps that I couldn’t fill with anything but speculation which for all I knew I’d never get right anyway. But I did my best to push it all back to the very edge of my mind, to forget that Derek Hale had grabbed me and given me more information on what was going on than anyone else had in a long time, to forget that there was some seriously bad stuff going on and I’d been ignoring it for so long that now I couldn’t quite do that anymore. 

Luckily or not so luckily for me, the Parent-Teacher conference was something that worked incredibly well to help me forget that weird and dangerous developments were going on. I had expected both mum and Norman to be there, to meet me outside in the school car park, I found only Norman walking towards me. Dori had apparently disappeared in an effort to avoid the evening’s events. 

“Your mum’s working, she said she’ll try and get here soon.” The work of a lawyer was seemingly never done, and I missed the days when my mother would be able to come to events early and be there for the full stretch…our relationship had become increasingly less rocky, we talked now, even made the odd attempt at old jokes. We were slowly getting back to normal, but that didn’t mean life always let us either. 

“Alright, just us for now then…” I knew Norman wasn’t questioning where Dori was, heck he probably agreed to talk to her teachers by himself. Dori always hated listening to people talk about her as if she wasn’t even there. I could agree with that myself, it was uncomfortable and awkward and you were always sat there waiting for someone to say something bad. 

“Your teachers’ aren’t going to say anything less than amazing, right?” Norman and I walked side by side into the school. In the evening everything was a lot quieter and more uncomfortable. Teenagers sat on chairs outside classrooms, dim lights, and the quiet clacking of shoes against the floor. It was strange to spend all your days somewhere only for it to change completely at night. Even more so to drag your parental figures into the place you spend your days. School and home always feel so separate…until parent-teacher conferences come around and then they collide together…even if my own mother was going to be late. But the thing you have to know about Sylvia is that when my mother said she’d be somewhere she’d be there, even if she’d be there late and even if someone tried to stop her. It was a fact that had always been admirable about her, her commitment to her arrangements. 

“…Some of them don’t like me all that much…but I do my work and my grades are fine!” In fact, my grades, other than maths, were above average, and Lydia had been working with me to keep my maths grade up as well. It’s just that some teachers like Mr Harris weren’t fond of me, probably because I was friends with Stiles and Scott who had this lovely tendency of disturbing class…or at least Stiles did. 

“I won’t tell your mum if you don’t”

You’d have thought that I’d avoid seeing Mr. Harris all evening, unfortunately that wasn’t exactly the case, we had scheduled timed appointments with each teacher which meant five minutes of hell with each. Because schools had to be organised for once didn’t they! 

Which is how I found myself sat in front of the aforementioned teacher, back straight and hands folded on my lap like I was sitting in front of a Victorian school master. All the while Norman sat next to me looking almost as uncomfortable as I felt. 

“Charlotte is an incredibly bright pupil-” Praise, he actually started with praise is this…am I dreaming? “but she fails to reach her full potential, rather spending time with troublemakers like Stilinski and McCall” Nope, I wasn’t dreaming, he was just lining up for the big kick to the stomach. 

“Quite frankly, Mr. Harris, I think the only thing limiting my daughter’s ability to reach her full potential is the teaching at this school.” I felt my jaw drop after a few moments-quite clearly it wasn’t the schools teaching that Norman had a problem with-and I found myself biting my lip to contain the urge to laugh. I watched in fascination as Mr Harris’ face steadily turned what was approximately the colour of a tomato. He was so often the most apathetic teacher that it was wonderful to see that he was indeed capable of emotions other than ‘bored’ and the only slightly rarer ‘irritated’. 

The 5 minutes from that point on were the type where Norman was blatantly unhappy and Mr. Harris was blatantly attempting to make up for what little pride he’d lost until the two of us were walking out of the class room.

“Nice one…dad” I didn’t ever call Norman dad…and he wasn’t my _father_ , but he was my step-dad and quite frankly he’d worked so hard as I was growing up to get me to like him, and now with all the issues with mum he’d been trying his best to be there in a more parental respect. Even if it was a minor comment about his ability to rip my teacher a new one. And I like to think that maybe it showed some progress from me as well. For years I’d stalwartly refused to call anyone but my biological father my dad…and maybe this was progress. 

“I try.” Norman was where Dori got a lot of her snark from, the not so obvious type that took you a few moments to understand and then made you want to jump up and down and yell ‘oh shit!’ because you finally understood that burn and you were going to need some serious Aloe Vera. That was the type of wit that both the Whittinghams had and it was the type of snark that made my life quite enjoyable at times. 

Coach Finstock was a much more preferable teacher, however. I liked Finstock, he didn’t make me do any sport I really hated or physically couldn’t do, didn’t complain that I sat out of gym most of the time, and he treated everyone except Greenberg with equal contempt and sarcasm. Obviously Greenberg was that one exception to the rule where Finstock just couldn’t help but pick on him more than the rest of us, but then Greenberg was an odd sort of kid…he made me uncomfortable and yet he seemed to always be around. 

So it was less Victorian schoolmaster sitting in front of him and more David Hasselhoff on Baywatch…although the last thing I ever wanted was to see Finstock in swimming trunks. Ugh. 

Despite liking Finstock, however, it didn’t make sitting there listening to someone talk about you as if you weren’t there to one of your parental figures any less weird. And always made me want to hide under a table, I’d probably never be able to look at Finstock the same way again once I knew how he felt about me, “She’s a good kid…works hard…sometimes says the weirdest things like what the hell is a crumpet? But yeah, she’s a good kid, smart, does her work. Hangs around with Stilinski, although he’s not a bad kid either. I think she makes him focus a bit more on his work.” I did…through coercion and reminding him that he was at school for a reason.

Norman looked over at me, and I shrugged at him, “I yell at him when he doesn’t do anything in class…His education is important.” And it was, Stiles wouldn’t always be in high school one day he might want to go into college or get a job and he’d need to have done decently in school…and he had the potential to do really well as well. He was ridiculously smart, he just had all this energy and got easily distracted. His attention tended to focus on anything but his schooling, which was where I always came in to remind him that he had work to do. And then he’d whine at me about how he had other important things to do. But what are friends for, right? 

“Right…well, you’re a good kid and you’re not as annoying as Greenberg so take that as a compliment.” What even was it about Greenberg that annoyed Coach Finstock? Was it just the fact that Greenberg was alive? Or was it something more, something bigger than that…maybe Greenberg reminded Finstock of a long lost love from his days as a young athlete? Or maybe he just really didn’t like Greenberg similar to the constant warring between teenagers and elderly folk?

“Oh I will, Coach, don’t worry…I will” Any compliment of any kind coming from Finstock really should be appreciated. 

The meetings continued along a similar vein, some teachers praised me, others admonished me and then received the witty commentary from Norman…but all of them agreed that my grades were perfectly okay and that I was doing more than fine in my studies. But mum never turned up…and that was…that was really unusual and it made me worry, more and more. 

“Mum didn’t text you did she?” Maybe she had messaged Norman and we just hadn’t realised, she could easily have gotten held up at work trying to sort out a case she had taken on. Mum worked really hard and it wasn’t unusual for that to happen…but she’d always let someone know if that was the case. It was worrying to say the least…and I was a natural worrier, but I rarely felt like I had to worry about my own mother a 46 year old women. 

Norman pulled out his blackberry. Yes, you heard me, a blackberry…we’re trying to get him a more up to date phone. “No, she hasn’t.” It was obvious Norman was probably even more worried than I was. If she hadn’t let either of us know that she wasn’t coming because of work…then where the hell was she?

“I’ll…I’ll drive around town, see if maybe she stopped off at the shops or something? You go home and wait for her? She could have just forgotten to text us…” I didn’t normally order people around, but I needed to go look for her. I walked out the front doors to the school, car keys already in my hand. It was dark out, the winter leading to the sun setting early. It made the whole event feel even more ominous then perhaps it normally would. But…mum could have just forgotten to text me or Norman, it was unusual for people to forget, especially if they’re busy working people…right? 

“Alright…be careful? I want you back home by 10, okay?” 

“Sure. I’m sure she’s fine, Norman.” I wasn’t going to argue, not when Norman was so obviously worried and not when I myself was worried. If I couldn’t find her and she wasn’t at home…then we’d have to call the Sheriff. I was petrified of that thought. 

“Yeah. I hope so.” I watched Norman walk away for a moment, part of me wanted to get on with the search…and part of me was scared to. Searches so far in this town and any moments of missing people had really ultimately shown that nothing good comes of it and I was scared. Like always I was scared. Sometimes I just wished I could be not scared. 

I unlocked the Ford, getting in and listening to the engine lurch and prayed that tonight wouldn’t be the night that it finally died on me. I just needed to find mum, that’s all I needed to do. The streets were dark as I drove down every lane and every main road without success, before trying some of the more backroad lanes. Even my headlights didn’t do much in the way of illuminating the night, I had kept the radio off, the music not seeming quite right in that moment and instead the only sounds were that of my car and the rustling of the trees that were slowly losing their leaves. 

I didn’t much like that backroads around Beacon Hills; they were unlit, pitch black and rocky roads that were surrounded almost entirely by tall pine trees. They set off a bad feeling at night, especially with the occasional reflection of animals eyes in the night and birds and foxes that darted across the road right in front of you when you were least expecting it to happen. All in all, if mum was out on one of these backroads then I’d be surprised…but I didn’t want to go home until I had really searched. Till I could say I’d looked everywhere

And then I came down an even smaller backroad, one that came from out of town back into town. For a second I thought I saw red eyes, but shook the thought out of my head and slowed the car down to a crawl, headlights on full beam…and as I creeped down that road my eyes scanning the area I saw it. 

A car. I couldn’t tell what car from the distance I was at, but it was a car, and it was smashed bonnet first into a tree, wrapped around it like a vine around a trellis. I stopped my car a distance away, parking up and grabbing a torch. One hand wrapped tightly around it the other clenched at my side as I creeped forward…the closer I got the more dread filled my stomach. I knew that car and I knew it very, very well. 


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the long wait, university has kept me very busy! Nonetheless the chapter is here and I hope you enjoy it...although it's very sad so perhaps enjoyment isn't the right word to use!

It was mum’s car wrapped around that tree and I stopped before I got to close. My breathing was shaky, my whole body was trembling and I was crying before I’d even reached it. I was so scared. She had to be alright, maybe she was just hurt...maybe she wasn’t even there and had gone to get help? People survived car accidents all the time, people had minor accidents and major accidents the cars were always worse off than the people involved...or at least that’s what I kept telling myself.

I reached for my phone. “Hello?”

“Stiles...I’m really scared and I...mum’s car and...” I started walking towards the car again, I felt safer with Stiles on the other line. I felt like I wasn’t about to see something horrifying, I felt like I wasn’t surrounded by ominous trees and blinking eyes in the dark. I felt okay. I felt like I could do this.

“Lottie, sweetie, where are you? Where are you?” I’d never heard Stiles so scared. So, so scared. Like he knew something bad was going to happen, like he knew what was happening before even I did. I could feel it. The dread. Part of me refused to believe what my heart was telling me. It wasn’t bad, it wasn’t that bad at all. It couldn’t be. I won’t let it be bad.

“I…the road coming into town, the...the little one...” The wind whipped around me, the cold winter air only added to my trembles, the torch light shaking in my hand as I finally made it to the car, too scared to look inside but knowing that there was no other thing for me to do, no other way. So I did. I looked.

“Stay on the line, I’ll be right there, stay right there!” 

I screamed down the line, the phone dropping because...because she was in there and she... “Mum?!” I tore the door open and leant over her, shaking her, _please wake up, please, please._ “Mum? Mum....please wake up...mummy...” 

I barely remembered to check her pulse. Her skin was so cold against mine, and I couldn’t feel it...I couldn’t feel it all...I just cried, cried and wailed and held onto her, she was so cold, so still and...and I couldn’t. She wasn’t dead. She couldn’t be. She was my mum and she...we’d only just started talking again and she just couldn’t do this to me. She couldn’t.

Sirens and bright lights found me clutching at her in the seat, holding on for as long as I could, because she wasn’t gone and she wasn’t...she couldn’t be dead. She was too young, too needed and I...I couldn’t without my mum...she...she was the only consistent I’d ever had. She was always there even when she was angry at me, she was always there, “Mum... _please don’t do this_ ”.

“Charlotte?” The voice familiar but I didn’t listen, couldn’t focus on anything but the...the body in my arms because she was dead, wasn’t she? She wasn’t coming back...she was...she was just going to...to go in the ground and I was going to have to live without her...knowing that she was trying to see me, that she was just on her way to the meeting...

“No!” Hands gripped at me and I struggled against them as the pulled me away from my mum, “Let me go! _LET ME GO!”_ I tried to scrambled away and back, but people were in my way. They were moving her, they couldn’t move her, they couldn’t! 

“Mum!” A familiar face slid into view, Stiles, hands were still holding me down but Stiles’ just held my face, “Lottie...” That was all it took for me to launch into his arms, sobbing...because she was gone, and I knew that, as much as I didn’t want to believe it. She was dead and the only thing keeping me from running blindly into the forest was Stiles and the arms wrapped around me, the friend that was shushing me and rubbing a hand against my back. 

“I’m so sorry, i’m so sorry” and I believed him because he was crying and I was crying and she was on a stretcher now and she was so still and so pale and...and she was dead and I had no idea how I was supposed to deal with this, to handle the fact that my mother was dead, that those dark stains were blood and not something else, that she wasn’t still from sleep or unconsciousness, that she was still because she was dead.

_“It’s not fair, it’s not fucking fair, this isn’t fair!”_ It wasn’t fair, it wasn’t fair that I had no father, no mother, that I was thrown misery after misery, misfortune after misfortune and I was just expected to get back on my feet and smile. That I was supposed to be okay with this at some point.

“I know...I know, Lottie...I know...Fuck...” I stopped crying at some point, just staring at the space she was in, clutching at the back of Stiles’ hoodie, hoping it would somehow make this less real, bring me out of some horrible dream I was having even though I knew this wasn’t a dream.

“Dad?” 

“Get her up, she needs to...we have to get her to the hospital and let her family know...” I felt Stiles nod at his dad, and tightening his grip on me. 

“Lottie, c’mon, up we get.” I didn’t resist as he helped me to my feet, one arm coming to rest across my shoulders as he walked me towards a familiar cop car. I felt like I could barely walk, my knees felt weak, my throat was dry, my face irritated from tears...and I felt numb in a sense...like the pain was just pulsing there rather than stabbing at me, like I couldn’t talk, but perhaps my eyes showed more than my words would because Stiles didn’t me go the whole ride and the Sheriff didn’t once comment on the lack of seatbelt and just let me curl into his son like he was the only respite I’d ever get. Because he was at this point the only comfort I had. Stiles never ran like I did even when he wanted to, even when he came close, he never ran from the shit that happened and...and I needed someone who didn’t run in that moment, I needed someone who’d run after me instead. Who wouldn’t let me experience this alone...I needed someone who knew what it was like to lose their mother, to know, to remember, to feel that pain...and to have it affect you every day. 

“Stiles...”

“Shhh, it’s okay...” But, it wasn’t okay and he knew that. He wasn’t saying it was okay he was saying it was okay not to speak, it was okay to be quiet, it was okay to think, or not to think, it was okay just to curl up there and hope that this pain wouldn’t haunt me forever. 

I had lost people before...but never someone close, never a parent to death, and never had I found them. Never had I been forced to see glassy eyes, cold skin, unbreathing, unliving...that was not something i’d ever had to deal with and I didn’t know how anyone could handle this, finding the body, not being able to save them, not knowing what to do or who to call. How did you do that? How?

The hospital came upon me quicker than I expected and I didn’t want to leave the car, I didn’t want to see her again, to do that all over again. Stiles pulled away from me and came around the other side to open the door, a hand outstretched towards me, “Lottie?”

“I’m scared...Stiles, I’m so fucking scared...” My voice was rough with tears and couldn’t help but shake my head at him, I didn’t want to go in there, I didn’t want to see her. 

“Hey, it’s okay to be scared...but, i’m not going anywhere...and...and I _know_ it’s hard, but you need to do this for me...okay?” The hand gripped mine and I didn’t let go, not after I got out of the car, not as I made it through the front doors, not as Melissa McCall saw me and made the one face that said pity, not when I entered the elevator, or walked down the hall or looked through the window to a room where my mum laid...still. 

_“S-Stiles...”_ I was so scared, the type of scared and frustrated that brought you to tears and made you want to leave, made the adrenaline run. Made you want to go, to run as fast as you could until there was nowhere left to run. “I know...but, you need...dad, needs a statement and I...I think you should go in..” He was right, I knew he was right...she. I needed to say goodbye or maybe just to let it sink in, to understand what was happening, what had happened...what had just changed my life entirely. 

I let go of his hand and pushed the door open carefully. Doctors and nurses looked at me with pity and left as I sat in the chair beside the bed. I could feel eyes watching me through the glass window and chose to ignore it, instead I took a cold hand in mine. She was so cold, an open wound was on her head and I knew she’d hit the steering wheel...I didn’t want to think about that, about her last moment. I didn’t want to think about how scared she must have been, how she died or how she tried not to. I didn’t want to think about each little detail before the last breath...if I did I don’t think I’d ever sleep again. I think I’d have nightmares of her face, of finding her, of each moment forever if I did. 

“Mum...I...I’m so sorry...” I pressed my forehead into her hand. “I didn’t...I know I couldn’t have done anything but I’m sorry...and I... I miss you. So much, I miss you.” I sat there with her for a while, until the Sheriff walked into the room, until he took me by the shoulder and pulled me away, until I found Dori and Norman outside in tears and I couldn’t. I just walked away into the hall way because I needed time, a few moments. I needed to think before I made any statement before I saw Norman and Dori both as heartbroken as me...but without the imagery and the fear of finding her...without being the first to know. 

“Lottie...”

“I’ll make the statement in a minute, Stiles.” I was sat on the floor, back pressed into the wall, “That’s not why i’m here-“ Stiles sat down beside me, hand grabbing mine, holding it again. It was like an anchor or a rope, anything to hold me down, to remind me that I wasn’t alone no matter how alone I might have felt. I always had people beside me. “-I’m here, whenever you...whatever you need. You just need to call or tell me”

He came when I called. He brought the Sheriff, he brought an ambulance. He brought everything and he came and he was there when I needed him most. Stiles might lie at times, but he was always there for me when I needed him, when...

I leant my head against his shoulder, “Thank you. For coming. For being there. Here. Thank you.” A hand slipped out of mine and an arm slipped around my shoulder and pulled me closer. “You don’t have to thank me.” We sat there and I thought that this was the moment that confirmed that Stiles Stilinski was my best friend. But it also confirmed just how strongly I felt for him, just how much love and affection was in my bones for my best friend...because when all I could do was cry, scream, grieve, and fear, he was there to keep me grounded, to remind me of what needed to be done and give me the time to do it. He didn’t push me, he encouraged me. 

“I... I need to make a statement...”

“Do you want me to come with you?”

“Yes.” 

I’d never had to make a statement to the police before and the fact that the one time I had to it was about my own mother...the thought of reliving it all, of running through it was terrifying, but it was Stiles and it was his dad and...and I could do this because I had to and the sooner it was done, the sooner I could forget this whole night happened, the sooner I could hide under my covers and cry until it didn’t hurt anymore. 

“Tell me what happened?”

“I...” Stiles was sat next to me, the Sheriff across, we were in a private room where I could speak without prying ears or prying eyes. “I was at the parent-teacher conference with Norman...and she didn’t...mum didn’t show and she didn’t text. I got worried...” I had a right to be worried. She was dead. I was right to be worried.

“So I decide to drive around and see if I... if I could find her...I turned onto that backroad and...and I saw a car wrapped around a tree...so I decided to have a look.” I took a deep breath, it was hard, but I had expected it to be harder...maybe it was shock, maybe it was something else. 

“I phoned Stiles because I was scared and then I, I saw her in the car and I... I felt for her pulse and I... I just stayed with her...I couldn’t think...and then you all turned up.” Should I, could I have done more at the time? Would CPR have helped? Would....could I have saved her?

“Charlotte...sweetie, thank you...” I knew the Sheriff wasn’t sure what to say. It wasn’t the same as consoling a stranger, consoling your child’s friend, a friend you knew well. 

“Can I go now?” I received a nod and walked out of the room. I needed to see Norman and Dori. I found Dori outside the room, Norman was inside holding mum’s hand. He was crying. 

Dori grabbed me the moment I was close enough and the two of us cried together. As a rule, Dori didn’t cry. But this wasn’t normal and this wasn’t just anything, she was my mum but she was Dori’s mum too. She was our mum. And we’d lost her...all we had was Norman and a house that would be quiet tonight. Quiet and cold and sad. But it was home. 

“I want to go home.” I mumbled into her jumper.

“Me too, me too, Char” 


	26. Chapter 26

The first few days everything was quiet. We were planning for a funeral. I didn’t go to school; Dori did. She wanted to, she wanted the normalcy. I thought it would just end with me crying in a bathroom toilet. I didn’t want to speak, but Norman did, and while part of me felt bad for not talking to him for the first days, I just couldn’t. I kept replaying the image of finding her over and over in my head and it was simply too much for me to talk about her with someone. To talk about anything. It was like my voice was gone and if I didn’t talk it didn’t hurt, if I didn’t think about it, it was just a numb feeling in my chest not a stabbing pain. So I did everything to avoid that pain. But, I knew I had to talk to people. Friends. Family. I knew that I had to do this because I couldn’t avoid it forever no matter how much I might have wanted to. It wouldn’t help if I did.

Stiles knocked for me 3 days after it all had happened. I could hear him talking to Norman at the door. Apologies, condolences. I could hear Norman thanking him and opening the door for him to come in, offering him a drink. You know that anxious feeling when you’re simply waiting for something to happen? The tension of waiting and knowing it will happen, but just when? That’s what it felt like waiting for Stiles to reach my room because of part of me knew that he and Scott could get me to talk about anything and part of me knew that seeing him would bring the pain to the forefront, that an apology would only make me cry. It made it worse that he was there, that he had been there that whole night because he knew what state I had been in, a state I wish I could forget, but knew I couldn’t.

The way Stiles knocked on my door was the way he always knocked, lightly rapping his knuckles against the wood and opening it slightly to poke his head in. I probably looked a sight. I hadn’t really gotten dressed in days, I changed from one pair of pajamas to another, my hair I knew needed a brush and I was probably tired looking because I’d been struggling to sleep recently

 “Can I come in?” I nodded at him. I didn’t want to speak, I was scared what would come out if I did. I was scared i’d tell him how scared I was of everything now. More scared than I was before. Now a bird outside my window made me jump and footsteps on the stairs had me thinking the worst. It was like i’d been pushed back to some childhood stage in which everything is scary without your mother there. I was like a lost lamb. I hated feeling like that.

“Norman said you aren’t talking...or sleeping....” He sat beside me on my bed, shoes kicked off onto the floor. Stiles always looked sad in a very specific way. It was his eyes mostly, when everyone else might frown, it was his eyes that conveyed what he felt most. Sometimes it was uncomfortable just how much you could see in those eyes if you really wanted to look.

I shook my head and took a deep breath. I could already feel that want to tell him everything rising in my chest, the feelings surfacing because Stiles was the first person to really talk to me in three day. Dori and Norman needed to grieve on their own and the others had steered clear to give me time...but time was just keeping me static. It was like all my feelings were frozen back to that day.

“Do you..do you want to talk?”

“I don’t know how to, Stiles.” How did I express what it was like to find my mother dead?

We were both silent for a few moments. Did...would it be good for me to say it? To just blurt it all out and get the feelings off my chest? Or would it make me feel worse. I supposed the answer was that I’d never know if I didn’t try. Part of me felt the safer option was to stay quiet. If I never tried then it could never get worse? But part of me wanted to try, to see if i’d feel better after talking about it all. Maybe if I talked the pain wouldn’t hurt so much, maybe the nightmares would go?

“You don’t have to talk to me, Lottie...but, I think talking might do you some good. It did me some good.” I was once again reminded that I wasn’t the only one to lose a parent to death, that I wasn’t the only one who’d suffered.

“I…” It was like I had a lump in throat, a rock or a wad of paper just stuck. “I don’t know how to…” I felt like Ariel after Ursula had taken her voice, like there was nothing there, like no real sound could come out.

“Okay…we don’t have to talk right now, we can wait. I can wait.”

“I-…How’s Scott?” I hadn’t seen him in days. I hadn’t seen anyone in days. It felt false asking after everything. The question felt hollow, meaningless; we both knew that Scott wasn’t who had been on my mind.  

“He’s worried, but he’s alright. We’re all worried, Lottie.”

“I’m sorry.” I felt guilt settle heavy in my stomach. I knew I’d worried people. I knew that I was going to continue to do that for a while. But I couldn’t just turn everything off, I couldn’t just decide to go back to how I was as if my mother hadn’t just died, as if I hadn’t found her.

“Don’t be sorry. If being alone helps…”

“It doesn’t.” It was the first time I admitted that. Being alone didn’t help. It didn’t help at all. It hurt. It made me think about it more. Remember it more. But being with people was something I didn’t know how to do either. How do you act around someone when your entire thought process is dominated with the death of someone you cared about, someone you loved?

“It makes it worse, all I do is remember and think and think…and I don’t want to see those images anymore…I want to be happy, I want…I want things to go back to how they were.” I wanted to go back to being the happy, cheerful person. The person that couldn’t open her locker. The person that could argue with her mum knowing that she’d be there when the time came to apologise. No, I’d never get that again. Dori and Norman were family but it wasn’t the same as my birth mum, my birth dad…it wasn’t the same as what everyone else had.

“So do I. I never wanted this to happen. I never wanted you to get hurt…”

“You make it sound like it’s your fault…”

“I just mean that I want you to be happy. Scott wants you to be happy.” There’s a flicker of guilt in his eyes, like he’s lying…like he knows more. But, how could he? A car accident is a car accident…I refuse to overthink it. I wasn’t exactly in the right mental space at the moment and I was probably just imagining it.

“I wish I could do what Dori does, Stiles, I wish I could just go back to school and pretend nothing happened. I wish I wasn’t the one who found her…but I was…and I really want my dad right now.” I hate to admit it. That I want him here. Right now. After everything, but it’s the truth.

“Norman?”

“My ‘real’ dad…I know he fucked off but…I wish he was still around. I wish he gave a shit.” I wish he was here to hold me, to tell me it was okay. To make sure I was alright. I wish he hadn’t completely left my life. I wish he…I wish he wanted me as his daughter. I wish I still had one parent left around.

“You don’t talk about him much…”

“He left when I was six…I don’t know why, but I always thought it was my fault.” I remember thinking that I hadn’t been good enough. I still didn’t know why left, why he just disappeared. Although I knew was that he was out there somewhere…doing something. Part of me wanted to believe he had no choice, that he left because he had to, not because he wanted to.

The two of us sit in silence for a while. There’s not much Stiles can say to that and I don’t want to add to it. To tell more of how I’ve always felt. People didn’t see me sad. People saw me bubbly and bright and it was strange to talk deeply about these things. Even with my creepy psychiatrist I tended to find myself talking basics. He filled in the gaps.

“Are you..are you coming back to school?”

“Yeah, I think…I think I need to.” Not right now, after the funeral, the funeral that is so close. At least she’ll be put to rest. There’ll be a place to put flowers, to mourn. That’s good right? Maybe the funeral is what I need to help me get over it.

“Maybe it’ll help, getting back into the swing of things. Worrying about grades instead of…”

Stiles doesn’t stay long, I’m not the best company right now, but I appreciate that he came at all. Over the next few days Lydia comes to see me, Allison too, Scott as well. They all bring their condolences, their friendly help, their comfort and each visit makes talking about it easier. I start to think about the good memories rather than the bad, I find myself sleeping better, getting dressed properly, brushing my hair.

The day of the funeral is a different story. Our friends were invited. There to support us, to provide what little comfort they could rather than to mourn. I find myself struggling to get dressed, struggling to keep calm, to prepare myself. There is a sadness over me, over Dori, over Norman that pushes like a weight and I know this funeral is supposed to help us let go of that…to push that away, but I haven’t felt this sad since it happened. Since the first few days.

“You ready?” I look up to Norman, he’s holding Dori’s hand and offering his other to me. He’s in his best black suit. The one mum really liked, never thought he’d wear it at her funeral though.

“Not really.” But I take his hand anyway and the three of us walk out to the car that would be tailing the hearse, together.

I stop and stare at the coffin, the floral arrangements. Sunflowers. I wanted sunflowers because they were happy flowers, bright flowers. I think she’d like them, like the colours, like the arrangements. No Lilies, she always hated lilies.

We follow behind the hearse in that car, all three of us crammed into the back. There are other cars following behind us, I recognise the Sheriff’s car and Melissa’s. It is a relief to know they’re there. Following the hearse is one thing, almost surreal, but walking shakily into the church only to watch that coffin be carried in. It had me crying, and I find myself almost unable to bear it when Norman stands up to speak.

“Sylvia was a…a loving mother, partner, wife…she cares so much about her daughters and I and…and..” He continues the speech, but it is filled with stops and pauses to cry and it’s the first time that I truly understood how much this had affected normal. How strong he’d been for Dori and I and how much he’d been keeping in.

Norman looks at me as he finishes and I know it’s my turn, to walk up there, to stare into the crowd and speak. As I make my way out of the pew, Stiles stand and come to meet me, a reassuring smile as he helps me to that podium and stands behind me. A hand on my back to remind me that it was okay, that I wasn’t alone up here.

“My mum was…was the only person I could ever rely on for so long. She was kind and strong…we had our…our disagreements and I’m so sorry…so sorry that I ever fought with you.” I look back at the coffin. So many years and so much wasted over arguing in small spates here and there.

“I wish she was still here…but I…I know that she wouldn’t want us to stop everything because of this. She…she always wanted people to keep going…” I stop for a moment, blinking away tears before my eyes returning to the people in that hall. Gazing over each person before I stop. Double take and look back.

There is a man standing at the back. A man I recognise, that I remember so clearly that it’s in vivid detail. He’s aged. The blonde of his hair has started to grey. He holds himself differently now, there’s a weariness there…but that face is still the same, even if there are wrinkles where there never used to be any.

“Lottie?” I hear Stiles behind me, my gaze is caught though and I can’t comprehend that he’s here. That after a decade of being gone he’s here today of all days. Of all the times in my life.

I tear my gaze away, “I…don’t know if there’s much to say…other than that I loved her, that she always stayed, that she never left.” I turn my gaze back to him and leave the podium.

“He’s here.” I lean over to Norman.

“I know.”

I look at him with shock, how could he know? But then maybe he’d invited him. Maybe he’d asked around. Maybe he’d gotten the word out. Or maybe he’d simply seen him too. Norman had never met him. Norman had arrived long after he’d gone.

The rest of the funeral goes by in a sort of blur. I am not focused. Not when the coffin is lowered or when the final words are said. My mind is elsewhere, my eyes always seeking out the man that isn’t supposed to be here. The man that is supposed to have left and never came back. My father.

It isn’t until we’re at the wake that I find him in the crowd. “Why are you here?” It is so strange to have him standing in front of me. He’s still the same in so many ways, the same eyes, the same nose, the same clothes…the same voice.

“I wanted to be here for you.”

“You should have thought about that ten years ago. _You left_.” I feel so angry. I always had thought I wanted him to come back, but I am angry. He had left and now he thought it was okay to just waltz back into my life at my mother’s _funeral,_ to tell me he wanted to be there for me. When he’d never been there for me before.

“I know…and I want to explain. I-“ I grab his arm and start to lead him out of the room, I won’t have this discussion at the wake. Not when people are celebrating her life. Not with him.

“You what? What happened, Leonard? What made you just decide we weren’t worth it?!”

“Your mother and I fell out of love. You don’t remember, but we always argued, behind closed doors when you were asleep. Your mother wanted me gone. So I went. I didn’t…I didn’t want you to have to deal with that and then…” Mum always said it was a surprise that he left. That she hadn’t expected it…but maybe she’d been trying to shield me from the truth. That my parents weren’t as happily married as I believed they were, that maybe six year old me hadn’t noticed a lot of the things that were really going on.

“Then?”

“Then I got in trouble, real trouble… I was angry and I got in trouble with the police. I only just got out.” My dad was a criminal…it almost made me laugh and yet, I could understand. How he might have done something in anger that he didn’t want to do. That he’d wanted to shield me from the truth while he couldn’t see me. So he’d simply left me alone. Left mum alone. “I know sorry doesn’t mean anything…it doesn’t change that I left. But I am sorry and I want my daughter back. I want try again. I want to try with you.”

“What if I don’t want to try again?” What if I wanted to pretend he never existed? To pretend that my father was nothing to me. That I had Norman and Dori and that that was enough. Even though I knew it wasn’t. Even though there was that yearning, craving part of me that wanted to start again so badly.

“Then I’ll leave, go back to England. I’m not forcing you to deal with me, Sweetpea. I just want to offer you the option.” ‘Sweetpea’, he used to always call me that. Now it has a bittersweet taste, affection mixed with the anger of missed years. But I know what my answer will be. I don’t want him to leave without trying.

“I want to try…but on my time. You can’t just come barging in. I need to control this.”

“Anything you want, you have, sweetpea.”

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you thought of this chapter either here or on my tumblr imaginesofeveryfandom :) Thank you, lovelies!


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